Why Dogs Cry
by Simcha
Summary: It's summer time and Serenity Wheeler's hoping to make it a special summer with her one true love. But after an encounter with a mysterious lady on the bus, her whole world is flipped upside down as her heart takes her in a complete new direction.
1. The Lady in Pink

Hi there lovely readers! Simcha here with my first fic. I hope you enjoy it. 

Warnings: Not much. Language (very if-y but just in case). Much OOC-ness.

Disclaimer: Simcha does not own Yu-gi-oh, or any characters except for a certain few. I'll tell you about them as I go along.

* * *

Chapter 1

The sun rose up over the city, casting its warm rays to the people down below. It was a bright and lovely day. School had just let out for the year, signaling the beginning of summer.

"Serenity, wake up. You're going to be late." Mrs. Wheeler shook her daughter's body, trying to wake her up.

"Mff, go way. No more school, can't be late." Serenity snuggled deeper into her pillow while she pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

"But you're going to miss your bus. Then you won't be able to see Joey or his friends. What was his name, the one you're always talking about. Duck, Don, it started with a D."

"DUKE! Oh my god, I totally forgot!" Serenity shot out of her bed, making herself presentable and ran out the door in no time at all. "Bye Mom! See you next week, have fun at your meetings!" She yelled in a single breath. Her mother just chuckled.

"That girl has no setting in between off and high."

Serenity was sprinting down the street, hoping to catch the Number 6 bus before it left without her.

'_How could I have forgotten? Now I'll never get to see Joey, or Duke.' _Her heart burst with sadness at the thought of staying away from the object of her affections. She really didn't like to run. Despised it in all actuality. But life was never easy on her, always making her work for the things she wanted.

"WAIT! STOP!" She screamed, seeing the Number 6 bus starting to pull out of the bus stop. She pumped her legs harder, forcing herself to run even faster to reach the automobile. Luckily for her, the bus did stop and waited for her to get on.

'_At least some things work out for me._' she thought as she slowed to a stop, thanking the wonderfully kind bus driver for stopping. There were very few people on the bus, leaving Serenity a large empty space to occupy for the long drive to Domino.

About halfway through the journey, Serenity was the only passenger left on the bus. Enjoying the country scenery, her mind started to wander. Her mind usually wandered to the same subject over and over again, this time being no exception. All she could think about were those long dark locks of hair, those piercing green eyes, and that sexy smile of the one Duke Devlin. Her heart swelled at the thought of him.

'_I'm going to find true love today, and true love will find me. I just know it_.'

" 'scuse me miss, but is this seat taken?" A slightly raspy, feminine voice broke Serenity from her reverie. There was an old, African-American lady standing in front of the seat next to her. The lady was short and old, wrinkles lining her hands and face. She had a soft smile on her face giving away a hint of perfect white teeth underneath. She wore a whole ensemble of pink. A long pink skirt fell to her knees, sitting under a light pink shirt with a darker pink knitted sweater. There was even a pink bowlers hat sitting precariously on top of the woman's gray hair, complete with a pink flower.

"Of course not." The lady smiled at her, setting her pink handbag on the floor and sitting down.

"So what's such a fine young lady like you doin' in a big empty bus all by yourself. Shouldn't your boyfriend be accompanying you?" The lady turned her head to see Serenity bow her head, trying to hide her blush.

"I don't have a boyfriend. At least not yet…I hope." She answered slowly, not quite sure if divulging such personal information to a stranger was wise. But then again, the lady looked nice enough. The Pink Lady laughed, slapping her knees in the process.

"Looks like someone's gonna find some love today. Congratulations miss." Serenity flushed an even deeper red at the thought.

"Well, I was hoping so. But I'm not so sure he feels the same way." Her voice was small and quiet as a whisper, as if to say it loud enough was to make it come true.

"What? And why in the world would any young man not feel that way bout such a cute girl like you?" Serenity shrugged at the Pink Lady's comforting words and sighed, hoping that what she said was true. "If it really concerns you, I could read your aura. See if you have anything good in store for ya."

Serenity gave her a confused look.

"Read my aura? Is that like fortune telling?"

"Eh, not really. But if it helps you can think of it as somethin' similar. Just give me your hand and I can see if you're gonna be having a lucky day of lovin'." Serenity was apprehensive. She didn't generally believe in fortune telling and anything to a similar affect. But then again, after dealing befriending Yugi, she learned that anything was possible.

"Okay then. Read away." She smiled brightly.

"Oh hohoh, I can tell you're gonna be happy wid this one. I can feel the good vibes already." The Pink Lady gently took one of Serenity's hands into hers and closed her eyes in concentration. Soon she started to make some ohing and awing noises, raising the levels of anticipation in Serenity.

"Oh, oh honey, darlin'. You are one lucky girl. Oh, he is so cute! Ab-so-tively gorgeous. Whew, my goodness. Girl, you do not have to worry bout a thing. That boy is positively head over heels bout you. Lucky, lucky girl you are!" Serenity's face brightened immensely at the good news.

"You mean it? He really likes me?" She didn't even try to hide the hopeful tone in her voice.

"Like you? Honey, he absolutely adores you. Worships you almost. But don't worry, not in a creepy way. It's very sweet actually. He has for a while now, years in fact."

'_Wait a minute. I've only known Duke for a few months._' Confusion started to seep into her mind, little by little.

"Hahaha! He's gonna tell you today he is! He's gonna make his move today. Oh girl, congratulations!" She let go of her hand, sitting back and smiling widely at Serenity. Her heart was pounding so hard it started to hurt.

"Are you serious? Duke's going to ask me out? Oh my god!" Serenity was so elated, overjoyed at the news that she didn't notice the slight scowl on Pink Lady's face.

"Honey, why don't you describe this Duke guy for me. Just to make sure." Her voice was less cheerful, heavier, and more serious. But in all of her joy, Serenity hardly even noticed.

"Well, he's absolutely gorgeous, like you said. The most stunning smile, piercing green eyes, long, dark, silky smooth hair, and a body to die for." Serenity's excitement was palpable to Pink Lady. Her hopefulness shone brightly in her eyes; love oozing out of her soul. It was almost heartbreaking how wrong she was. She was reluctant to kill such a feeling of hope. But if everything worked out, then Serenity would manage to find something even greater than what she had at the moment.

Pink Lady closed her eyes and started to hum. Softly at first, but then increasing in loudness until even Serenity, in her daze of joy, noticed. Pink Lady then took both of Serenity's hands into hers. She stopped humming and started speaking, though the melody still hung in the air in the background.

"Honey, I'm so sorry I have to do this. But this is the only way." Serenity looked confused at Pink Lady's strange words, not noticing the pink light climbing up her arms to her body. Soon she became numb, her eyes clouding, her mind shutting down.

"Love is strange and at times even sadistic. But please, do not lose faith."

'_Do not lose faith? What is she trying to say?'_

Then there was nothing. Complete darkness surrounded her. She floated within a void, waiting for something to happen. Then, out of nowhere, she felt cold. There was something hard and rough beneath her, scraping her skin.

Slowly, Serenity started to regain consciousness. She opened her eyes to find herself lying down on a very large street. The apartment buildings lining the road were humongous. She had never seen such large yet middle-class apartments. There were no people on the sidewalk and, luckily, the street was devoid of cars as well. When she tried to stand up and walk towards safety, Serenity found that she couldn't, or at least without some difficulty. Her upper body was really heavy, causing her to stand on all fours like a dog.

Taking a look down at herself, Serenity froze in fear.

'T-this…isn't right. This can't be my body!' Her voice rose in panic, but all that she heard was a high pitch barking. Serenity tried standing up, but she ended up falling over, landing in an awkward (and painful) heap. She tried to moving, but it only caused her more pain.

Serenity was so busy trying to gather her sense and to figure out her next plan of action; she didn't even notice the two bright lights heading right towards her. Soon a low rumbling sound made their way up to her ears, directing her attention to the oncoming truck. Her eyes grew wide and fearful. She was out of the eighteen-wheeler's sight, her presence completely unknown to the driver inside as he continued without slowing down. She tried unsuccessfully to escape the inevitable collision. Her body would not listen to her as she kept falling and tripping over herself, cutting her skin on the hard cement. Seeing that it was too late to save herself, she turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut, saying a silent prayer to anyone who would listen. A tear escaped her eye as she thought of everything that was supposed to happen and how wrong everything went.

The truck was mere feet away from her, its lights shining brightly as it charged ahead, unaware of the little life it was going to take.

* * *

First chapter done! How was it? Review if you liked it and review if you didn't!


	2. Saved Twice Over

I'm back (already!). I'm so glad at the reviews already. I'm so happy right now. To answer some of your questions, the guy is not Duke. Sorry. I know how many Duke/Serenity fans are out there. I'm personally not that big a fan of Duke (ducks at the bottles being chucked). Hope you guys will still keep reading! )

A little bit about the Lady in Pink. She's one of my own creations, a reoccurring character for me. She's the embodiment of wisdom learned through trial and error. She is a gentle soul, ready to help anyone who needs it, even if they don't want it. With her signature bowler's hat, she travels the world in search of people who need guidance back to the right road of life.

Deep huh? I like to pretend to be deep like that ; )

Warnings: Language (maybe), pairings (see if you can guess who!)

Disclaimer: If wishes were fishes… I'd have dead fishes everywhere. I don't know if that makes sense. I don't own anything besides the plot. And the Lady in Pink.

* * *

Chapter 2

Serenity scrunched up her small body, curling up in hopes of escaping death. The truck started to honk. The driver finally noticed her, but was too late. Serenity counted the moments before the crash, waiting for the pain. Seconds turned into minutes as Serenity continued to wait. She heard the truck, the loud rumbling of the engine…getting softer?

'_What's going on?_' She carefully opened one eye, checking to see if she made it to heaven or not. Impossibly tall buildings, wide cement roads, blue sky, white clouds. It sure didn't look like heaven. Noticing that she herself was unhurt, she opened both of her eyes to see what was going on. She was no longer on the road, or on the ground for that matter. She heard soothing words and a gentle voice from above her.

"It's alright. You're safe now." A familiar voice said. Serenity froze as she looked up into the face of her savior.

"Tristan! D-did…did you just save me?" She cringed inwardly at the sound of whimpering. Whimpering coming from her mouth. She found that instead on lying uncomfortably on the hard cement, she was sitting in Tristan's warm arms as he was kneeling on the ground.

"Don't worry. You don't look hurt. Just a few scratches." He held her in one arm as he started to gently rub her neck and back in a soothing motion. Serenity could instantly feel herself relax to his touch.

'_Must be a dog thing._' She growled softly in contentment. She looked up at Tristan again, noticing the scratches on his light brown coat jacket. But before she could ponder about it, he had set her down back on the ground. Serenity had to consciously hold back a whimper at the loss of warmth and comfort Tristan provided.

"Alright now, go on home. I'm sure some little kid is worried sick about their puppy." She just looked up at him, confused.

"There is no little kid. But there is Joey. Take me to Joey!" I barked. Tristan just looked down at her cluelessly.

'Wait a minute. Doesn't Joey live around here?' Serenity glanced around, and sure enough, she recognized a certain apartment complex across the street, albeit it was bigger than the last time she saw it.

"JOEY! Take me to JOEY! JO-EY!" Tristan still had no idea what she was trying to say.

"Let's see here. You want to… go to the beach?" He swore he saw that dog roll her eyes at him. She started to take a few, uneasy steps towards the street. She then started to nod in the general area.

"Across the street?" he asked, raising and eyebrow when she started to nod. 'What a weird puppy. Still cute though.'

"Exactly!" She barked enthusiastically. She started off ahead of Tristan but only managed a few steps before falling. Tristan laughed while helping her up.

"You're such a ditsy puppy." All he received was a glare in return. She took off again once she was back on her feet, this time more stable than before. Serenity was running with such concentration that she had failed to look both ways before crossing.

SSCCREEEEEEETCCCHHH!

The ear-piercing screech scared Serenity out of her wits as Tristan ran out and got to her before the skidding car could. Serenity's fur was on end as she stiffened up in Tristan's arms.

"You really need to be more careful or else I'll be scraping your remains off the street in no time." He joked. She just shivered in his arms, scared silly by her second near-death experience in the last fifteen minutes. Tristan carried her the rest of the way across the street. "You okay?" he asked, concern written all over his face. All Serenity was able to do was give him a small nod.

"So…where do you live?" He asked, making no move to put her down. She just pointed to Joey's apartment building, observing Tristan's amused look.

"Joey's building? How convenient. Speak of the devil…" Joey had pushed his way out of the building's glass door as Tristan spoke. At the sight of her older brother, Serenity started barking excitedly.

"Joey! It's me, serenity! JOEY!" But all Joey did was back up a few steps, causing Serenity's hope to fall.

"Hey Tristan. When didja get the dog?" Joey greeted, staying a safe distance away.

"Just found her, almost got run over by a truck and a car. I think she lives in your building." Joey bent down closer, examining the puppy.

"Never seen her before. Besides, no pets allowed here. I think it's a stray." Joey leaned back. Serenity was disappointed. If anyone could recognize her, in any form, it would've been Joey. Now there was absolutely no hope. She rested her head against Tristan's arm in defeat.

"I guess so. I think she really wants to stay with you though. Couldn't you keep her for a few days?" Serenity perked up at the suggestion.

"Please Joey. Pleeeaaassse?"

"Sorry man, but the pop hates dogs. Wouldn't ever live that one down." Again, her hopes were dashed as she resumed her original, depressed state. "Why don't you keep her? Your mom loves animals, almost as much as you do."

"Hm, I never thought about that. I guess so. That wouldn't be so bad." Tristan smiled down on the puppy, petting and comforting her. Serenity looked interested in the newest bit of information.

"Tristan the animal lover? Who would've guessed that?"

Tristan held her in his hands and brought her up to eye level.

"So I guess that's settled then. You are, temporarily, my pet." For some unknown reason, Serenity blushed at the innocent declaration.

* * *

Did you guess the pairing? I hope you guys aren't big haters of Tristan (it seems like a lot of people are). I personally like the guy. You know the drill! Please don't hate. 


	3. Painful Truths

Me again, here with chapter 3. So it's nice to see that I have at least _some _support in my works. It's nice. Enjoy!

Warnings: My characterization of Duke is a little exaggerated and some might not like it. Be warned!

Disclaimer: Simcha does not own Yu-gi-oh or any of their characters, but does own the Pink Lady and the plot.

* * *

Chapter 3

Tristan eyed the puppy in hie arms wearily. Was she blushing? Could dogs even blush?

"So what are you doing here anyways Tris?" Joey asked. Tristan turned his head, taking his attention away from the flustered puppy.

"I came to get you actually. Didn't want to be late, _again._"

Joey just threw his hands up in the air.

"Not this again! It was just that one time and I was only a little bit late."

"You were three hours late-"

"I was busy!"

"You overslept." Joey rolled his eyes and gave up fighting back.

"Besides, I have to go pick up Serenity today so I woul-" Joey stopped mid-sentence, narrowing his eyes in a vicious glare at Tristan. Serenity could hear the audible 'gulp' that Tristan made at the sight of Joey's angered face. "You knew I was picking her up!"

"Hey there Joey. C-calm down there. I just wanted to see her again. That's all, I swear!" Tristan backed up a few steps as Joey took a few steps forward, looking ready to pound Tristan to the ground at any moment. Serenity had never seen her brother so angry before. It scared her.

"You're lucky you're my best friend, or else I'd knock the daylights outa ya a long time ago. Don't try anything when she gets here! Especially since you know how she feels about Duke." Tristan had a mixed look of despondency and fear. He didn't doubt that Joey would go through with his threat.

Serenity was thoroughly confused at Joey's strange words. What would Tristan want to do that would make Joey so upset? she wondered. A shrill ringing broke Serenity out of her reverie, making her cringe with its high pitched frequency. Everything was louder, each sound more intense to her sensitive ears.

Joey reached into his pocket and took out his cell, looking at the caller ID.

"It's Serenity." He said, forgetting all about his death threats for the moment.

"Serenity? But I'm right here!" the puppy barked. Something weird was going on. She strained her powerful ears to see if she could hear anything. Sure enough, the voice on the other line was hers. Or, at least it sounded a lot like hers.

Tristan was attentive, trying to pick out any useful information. By the look on Joey's face, it didn't seem like good news.

"You missed it completely?" Silence followed as the voice on the line explained. "And there's no other bus for the whole weekend? You sure?" More silence. "So there's no way… Alright then. Are you going to be okay by yourself?… Okay then, I'll see you soon then." Tristan was waiting patiently for the news.

"Serenity missed her bus. She can't come this week." His face was covered in disappointment. Serenity looked up in time to see Tristan's smile fall completely from his face. He looked so sad, it was heart wrenching to see his light-heartedness leave so quickly.

'_Why would he be so sad though?'_ She wondered. A flash of pink caught her eye. She turned to see a cab drive by, and inside, riding the cab was a lady wearing a pink bowler's hat. "THE PINK LADY!" Serenity started to bark furiously after the cab, drawing both boys' attention to her.

"What's wrong? Did you see someone?" Serenity ignored Tristan's question as she continued to bark at the retreating vehicle. But it was all no use, the cab was too fast and that lady was gone in an instant. She wasn't even sure if it was the same lady. But her gut feeling told her that it was the same lady. She calmed down once the car was completely out of sight.

Joey gave Tristan a confused look. No words were exchanged, both men knowing what each other thought. Tristan just shrugged as they walked to the meeting place.

The whole group was waiting for them at their favorite burger joint, which was appropriately named Burger Joint.

"Well what do you know, Joey's late as always! What happened? Did you lose a fight with the sandman?" Mai teased with the others secretly thinking the same thing.

"Yeah, sure. _That's _why we're late." Joey muttered softly, only loud enough to be heard by Tristan.

When the two boys had reached the Burger Joint, they noticed an ominous sign hanging on the window. In big, bold, black letters were printed the words 'NO PETS ALLOWED'.

"Damnit!" Tristan cursed softly. He had forgotten about the strict and unusual rule the fast food chain had.

"Well, guess you're going to have to leave her here while we go eat." Joey promptly received a threatening glare from Tristan. "Okay, fine. Bad idea."

After minutes of rejected plans and much complaining from Joey, Tristan came to a solution. He lifted Serenity up and gently placed her in his coat pocket. It was wide and deep, deep enough to fit her in snuggly and not be seen.

Tristan looked down as he slowly put his hand in his coat pocket to gently stroke Serenity's fur. He reminded himself of a small boy, too excited about his new pet and unable to focus his attention on anything else.

"Everything okay down there?" He asked softly. Serenity just nodded, remembering the vow of silence she promised Tristan. Serenity relished in the attention he gave her. It was…cute, almost, the way he kept checking on her. He would rip off small pieces of his burger or take a few fries and secretly feed it to her, getting his coat pocket oily in the process. Serenity looked apologetic at the stains in his coat, but Tristan didn't seem to care a single bit. It was nice to have someone take so much joy in her presence, even if she was a dog.

"Hey, wasn't Serenity supposed to come today Joey?" Yugi asked innocently.

"She was, but she missed the only bus for the day, so she won't be able to come today. Maybe not even for the whole week.

"Aw, that's too bad. I was looking forward to seeing her again." Everyone agreed with Tea, longing for the short brunette's presence. Joey's face was downcast, a disappointed scowl on his face. Serenity knew how much he was looking forward to see her again. She wanted to comfort him, to tell him she was here. But nothing worked as she was still stuck as a puppy. But if Joey's face was sad, then Tristan's face was just plain miserable. How could one man's face be so happy and carefree, and then switch to being so forlorn in the matter of seconds. It was baffling, and disheartening.

When the group finished eating, everyone decided to go to the park. No one really had any plans to do anything, but lying around in the park sure did sound fun.

The park was not very crowded, with only a few kids running around on the playground with their mothers in the background. Yugi and Tea were off taking a walk, Joey and Mai were dueling, and Bakura was reading a newspaper he found on a bench. Tristan went to a nearby tree to sit down. He then gingerly took Serenity out of his pocket, feeling the oily spots in his pocket. He set her on the ground, letting her stretch out and lounge around outside the confines of his pocket. Serenity took this opportunity to adjust to using four legs rather than two.

Her legs were still a bit wobbly, though stronger than before. She would occasionally trip over herself, falling face first into the dirt. Tristan would just laugh and help her back up. Soon, with lots of help from Tristan, she was able to walk around, even run for a little bit, with relative ease. A great sense of pride and accomplishment filled her as she beamed a smile back at Tristan.

"Well look who finally showed up. Didn't think you were actually coming." Tea said to an approaching figure. Both Tristan's and Serenity's attention was now focused on the oncoming figure.

"Gee, lounging around the park doing nothing after stuffing your bodies with lots of greasy fast food, I can't believe I almost missed it all." Duke's voice was dripping in sarcasm as e sauntered on over to the group's area.

"DUKE!" Serenity barked and started to run towards him with Tristan following close behind. She kept increasing her speed, praying that she wouldn't fall and embarrass herself. She kept barking along the way, barely containing her excitement at seeing the heartthrob again. Serenity prepared herself for all the loving and petting and cuddling she expected. After all, Duke is the type of guy to love everyone! He seemed so much like an animal lover. So you could imagine Serenity's shock (and everyone else's) when Duke screamed an ear-piercing scream and ran away. Serenity cringed at the high-pitched noise, stopping dead in her tracks as Duke ran behind Tea and Yugi.

Everyone was stunned at Duke's reaction. Jaws were hanging open and Joey was trying his best (and failing miserably) to contain his laughter.

"A-are you okay Duke?" Tea asked the cowering form behind her.

"Y-y-y-y-yes. I'm p-p-perfectly fine." He stuttered.

"Then what the hell was that?" Tristan asked bluntly. Duke glared at him until he saw Serenity slowly walking towards him. He whimpered as he took a step back each time Serenity took a step forward.

"What is…that _thing _trying to do?" Duke spat. Serenity winced at the harshness of his voice.

"Hey! Calm down! That 'thing' only wants to play with you so chill already." Tristan defended. "What's your problem anyway?"

"Duke…are you scared of the puppy?" Bakura asked softly. Duke didn't move.

"I've had some very bad experiences with dogs. And I really, REALLY don't want them anywhere near me." Duke voice was hard and cold, stabbing Serenity's heart with each word. Serenity whimpered as she turned around, laying her head on her paws and sulking. Tristan immediately walked over to the pining dog and tried his best to comfort her.

"It's just a puppy Duke. She's Tristan's new pet. She won't do anything to you. In fact, I think she likes you." Yugi reasoned.

"Yeah, well I hate dogs. Period. Including that little mutt." Serenity couldn't take anymore, hearing such hateful words from the one she loved. She bolted, right out of Tristan's arms.

"Wait! Come back!" Tristan ran after her, leaving behind his friends to either console or yell at the terrified Duke.

* * *

So….there it is! You know the drill! Go ahead and complain, but don't flame. There is a difference. Till then guys! 


	4. Comfort

I'm back! Here's the next chapter. I hope you guys like it. The reviews have been really encouraging, I hope it continues!

Warnings: nothing to worry about to my knowledge.

Disclaimer: Do we really need to go over this again? Me no own, they no sue.

* * *

Chapter 4

Serenity ran with all her might. Tears stung her eyes and clouded her vision as her paws pounded on the pavement. She didn't care where she was going. She didn't care about hitting people running into poles. Nothing mattered anymore. Duke hated her.

"_So, just the dog that I was. But, I'm not actually a dog.'_ The thought did little to calm her. The truth was, Duke directed those hateful words to her. To the person inside of the dog.

"I hate all dogs, including that little mutt." The memory was like a stab in her heart. Making her insides coil together and knot up into tangles of pain and misery. She closed her eyes, pushing the tears out and down her furry face.

Soon, her body couldn't take anymore and she tripped over herself, pushing the embarrassed feeling to the back of her brain. She just sat on her hind legs, cradling her hurt paw, and crying. She didn't know how long she was sitting there, crying and hurting over her heart and paw. She didn't even notice the person sit next to her until he placed a hand on her back. In her panicked state, she thought it was some crazy homeless person and bit down onto the person's hand. Hard.

"Ah! That hurts!" Tristan! Oh my god! How could she have been so stupid to bite him like that? Serenity screamed at herself.

"_He was trying to help, and you go and bite him?"_ Tristan took a few, long and deep breaths to get the pain under control. How could he have been so stupid and scare her like that?

"Are you okay?" a soothing voice surprised her. She looked up to see Tristan, sitting down next to her, holding his arm. Serenity just looked down, too ashamed to respond.

Tristan was dying to talk to her, comfort her, but held back while forgetting about his own pain. He decided to give her some space. She acted a lot like a person, and if he knew anything about people (girls specifically), they sometimes needed their space. They sat like that in silence, Serenity crying while Tristan sat there, making sure nobody stepped on her. After a few minutes, Tristan decided it was safe to at least check if she was okay physically. He saw her trip and it looked like a nasty one.

Serenity felt herself being picked up gingerly by Tristan. She didn't put up much of a struggle when he examined her body for injuries, too depressed to care. Tristan held her close, turning her and checking for any signs of injury. She winced when he grazed her front left paw. Ever so gently, he touched it again, making her flinch away.

"I think you might have twisted it. Plus you have a few scrapes that are starting to bleed." He stood up, holding her close to his chest as he started down the street. "I live near by. We could go home and I can take care of that for you. Then we wont have to go to the big and scary (not to mention expensive) vet." Serenity felt a tiny tug as she smiled a small, microscopic smile. But, it was still a smile nonetheless. Tristan noticed the miniscule smile and beamed down at her.

Serenity sat on a soft leather couch in Tristan's living room as he bandaged her foot. He was careful with her paw seeing how sensitive it was. He gently wrapped the small bandage around it, making sure it was tight but not painful. Serenity was surprised at this cool and collected Tristan. He was acting so professionally.

"Don't tell anyone this, but I actually used to work at a wildlife center." Tristan was attempting to fill the silence and distract Serenity from her current state depression. Serenity looked up at Tristan, a surprised look on her face. "That's where I learned things like this. How to take care of sick and injured animals."

"_Seriously? I never would have expected that. Tristan of all people. He really is an animal lover_." She thought.

"I know, it's really surprising. I really do like animals that much. Must've gotten it from my mom. She loves anything that breathes. Even more of an animal freak than I am, if you can imagine that." Tristan's soothing voice filled the silence in, pushing the uncomfortable void away. He finished bandaging her paw and let her test it out. It was firm and tight, put not constricting and painful. In fact, Tristan did a great job. Her paw felt great! She sat back down and thanked Tristan, barking happily. He just beamed at her again, his smile radiating light. Soon they fell back into the silence, though this time less uncomfortable than before. Again, it was Tristan who broke the silence.

"I'm really sorry." Tristan said guiltily. Serenity gave him a puzzled look.

"Sorry for what?" she barked.

"I'm sorry for this afternoon. I'm sorry that Duke was being such a jerk to you." Painful feelings returned as Tristan mentioned the events of the afternoon. "He's not normally so cold hearted. It's just sometimes he can be a cocky bastard. But he can be a decent guy." Serenity was taken aback by Tristan's words. He was apologizing for Duke. "I know you like the guy." He scoffed, getting him a confused look from the puppy.

"Sorry. It's just…" Tristan was unsure if he wanted to continue. Serenity gave him a reassuring look. He couldn't understand a thing she said, but he knew he could trust her with his secrets. "Practically every female in Domino is head over heels for Duke Devlin. I mean, he even has dogs after him. I guess it's understandable. He's rich, successful, good looking, and not that bad a guy. But everyone makes him out to be so extremely special. Which leaves very little room for guys like me to be something special to anyone. Especially to _her._" His eyes were unfocused, full of longing and loneliness.

"He's the kind of guy who is constantly told how special he is, how wonderful he is. And I'm the guy who has to prove it. And… I'm tired of having to prove myself. I'm tired of being labeled an idiot, a dumbass, and…and…. being ignored. I know I'm special and I want others to know that too. But nobody every gives me that chance." Serenity's heart went out to Tristan. The poor guy, she never knew he felt the way he did. His desires were so complex, much deeper than the stereotypical testosterone jerk.

"It wouldn't even be that bad if _she _didn't like him. But, it's like she's his biggest fan. It's painfully obvious she's in love with him. No chance for me, as always." He breathed deeply and sighed. His heart cried out in pain. Why was he cursed with such longing? Such unrequited love?

"Stop being such a sissy. You're embarrassing yourself in front of the dog! She must think you're such a loser." He thought. His mind laughed pitifully. Both of the 'she's; the puppy and the young woman must have thought that.

Serenity stared at Tristan. His eyes were glazed over, sadness filling every bit of them. Her heart broke to see the normally laidback boy so sullen and gloomy. His lips were turned down into a slight frown. The frown really threw Serenity off. It looked so…unreal on Tristan. He was always smiling whenever she saw him. Even when they were in trouble, he always had at least a lively, playful glint in his eyes. The frown did not suit him one bit. This girl, how could she be so heartless, so clueless as to make him feel the way he does. Tristan was very special, she could see it now. That girl was one idiot for not seeing that.

Her eyes then landed on his right arm. There were dried up steaks of blood all over it, originating from four puncture wounds left by her. She felt so guilty, hurting him when he was only trying to help. Sure, she thought he was some sick, twisted person trying to hurt her, but did she have to bite so hard? She hadn't even been considerate enough to worry about if it was bleeding or not. She was overcome with guilt. Seeing him like this, heartbroken and bleeding. She silently hopped off the couch and padded over to his sitting form. She lightly, with the same amount of gentleness he had handled her with, he licked his wounds.

Tristan felt something warm and wet on his arm wake him from his sad reverie. There she was, licking his wounds, trying to comfort him. He smiled down at her once again. This was a special dog. Such a good listener and comforter, there was no way she was normal, but Tristan could care less. It was nice to see someone care about him, even if it was a puppy. He picked her up and wrapped his arms tightly, bringing her to his chest.

"Thank you so much."

Serenity could feel the warmth of his body through the t-shirt, snuggling deeper into his chest.

"_This is nice._' She thought. She then stood up straight until her snout reached his face. She started to lick his cheek, hoping to cheer him up even more. He laughed, thoroughly enjoying the show of affection.

Tristan and Serenity, both scorned by love, could feel their own pain disappear as they alleviated each other's heart.

* * *

I'm going to gone for a while. Try not to miss me too much ; ). How was the chapter? Too much? Not enough? There's only one way for me to know! 


	5. The Naming Process

I'm back! After a long wait, here it is! I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 5

"Since you're my pet, for now at least, I need to give you a name." Tristan said, lying down on his stomach and turning his head to face Serenity who was already lying on the carpet.

"Excuse me, I already have a name." Serenity lifted her head from her legs, looking at Tristan with an interested glance.

"Well it's not like I can keep referring to you as 'hey you!' or 'doggy!'. Sounds a little impersonal, don't you think?" He did have a point there.

"I don't exactly have much of a choice do I?" Even though she didn't want a new name, there wasn't much she could do to dissuade Tristan from doing so. He couldn't understand her anyway, so what's the use? She reluctantly nodded, giving Tristan her permission. He smiled down at her brightly. He definitely, without a doubt, looked better smiling than when doing anything else.

"Okay then!" He said enthusiastically. "How about…Fluffy?" Serenity just shook her head,

"Can't you be more creative than that?" She barked.

"Yeah, I didn't think that one would work either. You're not even that fluffy. How about… Princess? You certainly act like one." Serenity scowled indignantly.

"I do not act like one! Take it back!" Serenity lunged at Tristan, climbing all over him, poking and prodding without mercy. It was a pathetic revenge, but what else could she do? She was just a puppy.

"Hey! Stop, that tickles!" He squirmed when she poked his ribs, giving Serenity the upper hand as she continued to poke and prod at his side. "Alright, alright! No Princess for you. You certainly didn't have to get all mean about it." He fake-pouted, making the puppy roll her eyes at him.

"I knew she was special." Tristan thought. It was just like him to go out and get himself a special dog as a pet. He sure knew how to choose them.

"How about…Keiko?" Serenity pondered the name for a while.

"Keiko, Keiko" she repeated over and over. It had a nice ring to it, especially when he said it. In fact, it wasn't a bad name at all. It was a bit strange that he would name her that, but she didn't really care. She turned to Tristan and gave him a nod of approval. Tristan smiled brightly, glad that she liked the name.

"Okay then, you are now my Keiko." Serenity blushed at the endearment.

"Since this is now your house as well, I should give you _le grand tour" _Tristan picked the newly named Keiko up in his arms and carried her across the house.

"Here we are in the living room. There are the couches, the bookshelves, the fireplace, and the TV. Stay away from there if you don't want to be caught in Mom's network of Korean Dramas. It's not pretty."

Tristan then brought her through a passageway connecting the living room with the kitchen. "Here's the kitchen. Rather self explanatory, am I right?" She just nodded. Then up the stairs they went, stopping at the room last room in the hallway. This is my parent's room. There's nothing too important here. I doubt they'll care if you come in here." Down the hall there were two rooms next to each other, connected by a shared bathroom.

"That is my sister's room. She's not usually home, normally away at school. Just make sure not to trash the place. And over here is my room." It was a quaint and cozy room. It was a simple room, nothing too spectacular about it. The walls were painted light, coffee crème brown: a rather unusual color in Serenity's opinion. The walls were covered with band posters and sports team posters. All the furniture was made of a dark solid wood, matching the walls perfectly. Even the bed was brown. The blankets and the pillows were a dark, earth-y brown.

"Like it? My sister decorated it. She's trying to become an interior decorator. This was the best she could do with the budget she had. It was during her 'brown is the new black' phase. You'll get used to it." Serenity listened to his animated talking, enjoying the light-heartedness and the humor of everyday life.

Suddenly Serenity was struck with a realization. His room was clean. The bed was made, the desk was organized, and the floor was clearly visible.

"Clean huh? Mom just got through with it, so enjoy it while it lasts." He joked. It wasn't sterile clean; there were things a bit out of place and stuffed into tight spaces unceremoniously. But it was a comfortable tidy, where everything was relatively easy to find. It came as quite a shock, along with the other surprises she was exposed to today.

"You're just full of surprises aren't you?" She received no discernable reply, only a nervous smile. Why did he look so nervous?

Why was he so nervous? Was he actually worried about impressing a puppy? That was just sad, he thought. Shaking his head and smiling down at Keiko, he decided to finish off the tour. He took her across the room and into the joint bathroom he had mostly to himself. He set her in front of the mirror, showing her everything.

A sight of rusty fur caught her eye. She turned around to find herself staring at…herself. It was actually a mirror, and she was staring at her reflection. This was the first time she had seen herself since the transformation. She was amazed at what she saw.

Her fur was covering her whole body, like any other puppy's body. Her fur was a light red with orange-ish tinges, making it look rusty in the sunlight. She was short, even more so than when she was human. Her whole body was tiny. Tiny snout, tiny body, tiny paws. Her snout was of moderate length, with lots of sharp teeth on the inside. Her eyes were big and brown, covering most of the top part of her face.

Serenity couldn't believe it. It was so surreal, so phantasmagoric. Was that really her she was looking at? It couldn't be, could it? She carefully lifted a paw up to the mirror, watching her reverse self copy her action. She touched the mirror, her reflection doing the same. Her eyes rested on her paw resting on the mirror. It really was her. She really was a dog. Her eyes moved up and landed on Tristan's image smiling at her.

She was so adorable. It was like she was seeing herself for the first time. She seemed to curious about herself. It was amusing and entertaining and… refreshing. He placed his arms on the sink counter, bending down to his knees. He brought his head close to hers, which was still staring at the mirror, but this time at his reflection.

"You see that puppy. The one with that pretty red fur? Isn't she cute? She's the most adorable and sweet thing I have ever had the chance to meet. Don't you agree?" Serenity looked at his reflection, his face bright from the sunlight shining on him through the window. But that wasn't the only thing bright about him. His smile was electric. Whenever he smiled like that her heart would jump. But when he directed that radiant smile towards her, her heart all but stopped. Her insides felt hot as they tangled together, forming knots of epic proportions. Her heart would suddenly beat wildly; pounding so hard against her chest it gave her a headache. Something was going on. He was doing something to her, making her feel such an untamed quaking in her soul and a powerful tugging, a yearning for something more. She had no idea what that something more was. But she liked the feelings; she enjoyed the warmth he caused inside of her. It scared her how much she liked it.

A little weird, I know. The story is finally getting somewhere huh? I hope you guys are enjoying it. Review _por favor._


	6. Starry Starry Night

I'm back again! I have just realized that I have yet to formally thank the reviewers. Shame on me! So, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Even though there are barely any. But it's all good! I feel so loved and supported. So in my daze of happiness, here's another chapter!

Chapter 6

"Boy, am I stuffed." Tristan groaned, sliding down the leather coach after placing his take-out box on the tabletop. He looked over the edge of the sofa and silently laughed to see his little Keiko buried in a pile of chow mien. The paper box was turned on its side, spilling its contents onto the hardwood floor. He would have to clean that up later. Her mouth was practically glued to the floor as she sucked each and every last morsel off the ground.

Normally Serenity would've been appalled by the thought of licking strands of noodles off of the floor, but at the current moment, she couldn't care less. She was starving, even though she had eaten her fair share of food ever since becoming a dog. Serenity blamed the puppy stomach she had. She was a growing dog after all. Plus she was going to need all the energy she could get if she expected to find a solution to her problem. So really, it was for the best that she kept eating.

"I never knew Chinese food could be so delicious." Serenity thought to herself. She had already cleaned the food off the floor and was now working on the remainder of the noodles still left in the box. She stuck her mouth as far into the box as she could in an attempt to clean the box. Serenity growled softly when she found a piece of chicken that refused to be eaten. Suddenly the box was moving upward, being lifted away from her and more importantly, her stomach.

The puppy let out a whimper at the loss of her dinner. Tristan just sighed at the canine.

"I think that's as clean as your going to get it." He placed the box on the table and away from her. There was no way he was going to have fat pets running around the house, not if he could help it.

"But there's still some food in there. That's such a waste of perfectly good food." Serenity barked. She crawled over to the table and stood. When on all fours, she was about three fourths of the way to the top. She slowly pushed back on her front paws and balanced on her hind paws. She carefully walked closer and tried to reach for the box. Tristan, being the cruel evil man he was, moved the boxes just out of her reach. Serenity pushed a little harder, trying to reach the food. She managed to touch a box. She tried again, but this time with too much force and knocked it even further back. Serenity inwardly groaned as Tristan laughed.

"You're a cruel, sadistic person." She sat down in front of the table, glaring at Tristan's laughing form.

'_That's too cute_. _Even when she's mad she's adorable_.' He reached down and ruffled her rusty fur, picking up the trash as he reluctantly cleaned up. Serenity jumped onto the couch and laid her head on her front paws. Tristan came back and wiped the floor where Serenity was eating with a damp cloth. He caught a look at Serenity's sulky face and felt the tiniest of twinges in his heart. When he finished cleaning, he went back to the kitchen while Serenity continued to sulk. He sighed as he gave in.

'_I am so whipped. By a puppy no less. In a matter of hours too_.' There was no way he could survive with a woman, despite how he hoped he could have a chance to.

"Here." Tristan sat down next to the puppy as he held out a sugar cookie for her. At the sight of the cookie, Serenity became animated once more, prancing over to him. She crawled onto his lap as she ate the cookie out of his hand. "Don't eat it too fast. That's the only one you're getting tonight." Serenity made a conscious effort to slow down, but not by much.

As the dog was busy munching away, Tristan turned his gaze back towards the television, gently stroking her fur all the while.

Serenity had long since finished her cookie, yet she made no intention of moving. She was content to lie on Tristan's lap as he petted her, listening to the droning of the television. Neither of them was really paying any attention to the screen. Serenity then realized that, instead of a pattern of warmth traveling down her back, there was a gentle and warm weight pressed down on her. She turned to see Tristan dozing off above her.

'_How can he be tired already? It's not even ten yet.' _Serenity complained. She certainly had changed a lot in the past day and she didn't mean by turning into a dog. She was suddenly so energetic, playful, immature, and always hungry. '_Must be a dog thing' _became her motto.

She carefully slipped out of Tristan's grip to give herself greater mobility. She just sat in his lap, waiting patiently for Tristan to wake from his little nap. She occupied herself by playing with her tail. She figured out how to control the thing and would playfully bat at it as it moved back and forth. But despite how fun it was to hit herself, she soon grew weary of it.

"_I think I've given him enough time to rest. But now its play time!" _She carefully stood on his lap as she took a small, cautious step towards Tristan's body, making sure she had a good footing before taking another step.

Soon she found herself at the end of his lap and at his waist, where his body sloped steeply up. Bracing herself, she took the strongest hold on Tristan's shirt and started the ascent. She clawed her way up his torso. The task was much easier than expected as she quickly found herself on his chest. She paused for a moment, not sure what to do from that point. She could feel his warm body under her paws. His warmth seeped through the T-shirt and into her, causing a relaxing feeling to course through her. She could feel herself rise and fall along with his chest with every breath he took. His body was firm, but not hard or uncomfortable. There was a certain softness to his muscles that would have made him a great mattress and pillow had he been sleeping in a more opportune position.

"_I bet it would feel great to sleep here._" She thought to no one. She found herself daydreaming about sleeping on Tristan's chest. Daydreaming about sleeping. Serenity passed it off as another dog thing. She tilted her head up and caught sight of his face. His head was turned down towards his chest. His eyes were closed gently, brow smooth without a single wrinkle on it. He looked at ease and at peace with everything in his life. His lips were slightly curved in a smile of contentment. His eyes flickered under their lids, signaling his current state in dreamland.

The sleeping form in front of her captivated her. Never had she seen someone so comfortable, so at home with himself. Could someone ever be this laid back?

"_I wonder what he is dreaming about._" She wondered, thoughts of waking him up were all but chased out of her head. "_I wish I could dream like that. So peacefully._" Slowly as to not wake him up, she crawled closer to his face, stopping at his neck. She eased her head under his chin and began to nuzzle the area. His skin was soft and tepid. His skin smelt faintly of cologne and mint and vanilla. It reminded her of her favorite ice cream flavor: vanilla mint chip. Soon she couldn't help herself as her tongue darted out occasionally and would lick the fire hot skin. He tasted as good as he smelled, sending her senses on the overload. She couldn't stop, she needed more as she nuzzled deeper into his neck. Her wondrous escapade was interrupted as Tristan stirred from his sleep. Serenity froze.

He was having a wonderful sleep filled with just as wonderful dreams. Though fading fast, he knew whom they were about. It was always the same. It was always her wonderful smile, her melodious voice, and her radiant red-brown hair. Speaking of red-brown hair, the puppy with identical hair was right in front of his face. Tristan was caught by surprise as he felt her nuzzle and lick him under the chin. Once the overall shock wore off, he realized that he rather liked this kind of wake up call. He liked the attention and the affection. It was a nice change of pace to the lonely love-less life he was accustomed to.

"Hey, why'd ya stop?" He complained, voice still groggy from sleep. He smiled at the puppy and brought his arms around her in a tight hug. "So what was so important that you had to wake me up for?" Serenity blushed and turned her head away. Tristan just tilted his head at her.

"_She's sucha weird dog._"

Serenity collected herself to try and remember what she wanted him to do.

"Um, oh right! I want to do something." She barked simply. Tristan just quirked an eyebrow at her in what could only be described as a cute expression.

"Right…and that means…" Serenity rolled her eyes at him and reluctantly wiggled out of his grasp and onto the ground. She led him to the door as she pawed on the wooden frame, signaling her need to go outside. "Outside? The park?"

"PARK! That's a great idea." She barked affirmatively. "Take me to the park." She was getting excited again.

"You sure? It's starting to get cold. Summer nights kinda do that." Serenity ignored him as she pawed the door even harder. She _needed _to get out and run around. Tristan sighed in defeat. He slipped on a light brown denim jacket and opened the door. Once there was a space big enough for her Serenity shot out of the house.

"Hey! Slow down, you don't even know where the park is." Tristan chased after her.

"Catch me if you can!" Serenity was joyously barking as she sprinted in any random direction, hoping she would end up at the park sooner or later. Luckily, her sense of direction (a.k.a. she was damn lucky) brought her to the park. She looked back to see Tristan hot on her tail, literally. Tristan was much taller and had longer legs and was catching up to her. With another burst of energy Serenity shot forward. She ran up a large hill to find a huge old tree on the top. The roots were protruded from the ground, making it difficult to walk. She decided that it was the perfect place to hide and ran towards the tree. She ducked behind a large root sticking up from the ground just as Tristan got to the top of the hill. He had not seen her leap into her hiding place. Serenity kept perfectly still as Tristan slowed to a stop. He knew she was hiding somewhere.

"Keiko! Where are you? Keiko!" Tristan walked past the tree and continued down the hill. Serenity laughed as Tristan walked right past her. Her heart was pounding from all the physical exertion and the excitement. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her system decrease as she calmed down. She decided to wait for Tristan here. She sat down and looked towards the sky. The sun was just beginning to set, casting orange pink rays off into the distance. It was beautiful as the sun shone extra bright, living the last few moments of the day to its fullest. The clouds surrounding it seemed to want in on the action as the changed colors in the sunlight, drawing some of the attention towards their luminous hues. The view was amazing from the hilltop. Practically the whole city of Domino was visible as she looked out over the sea of buildings and people.

"BOO!" Serenity jumped up into the air, barking in fright as Tristan popped out from around the tree and grabbed Serenity. "Found you." He stated simply as he smiled down at the panicked puppy.

"Don't do that! You freaked the daylights out of me!" She barked. He just continued to smile at her as she felt her anger slowly melt away. He sat down and leaned against the tree trunk with serenity still in his arms. Serenity turned her gaze upward at Tristan and gasped. The setting sun's rays framed his face perfectly. His tanned skin took on a glow from the light, making him look ethereal. His eyes were brighter than usual, reflecting the dying flares of light from the sun. His whole being shone with an iridescent light that made him seem almost angelic. Serenity chuckled at herself. He was like her guardian angel and at the moment, he looked like one too. All he was missing was a pair of perfect white wings on his back.

She forcefully tore her gaze away and placed it back on the sunset in the horizon before her. Again she gasped.

"_That's not how it looked a minute ago, I swear!_" The whole scenery practically changed. The sun was exploding with a great light that stretched across the sky. The sun's rays were a magnificent blend of colors melding perfectly together to create a myriad of reds, oranges and yellows. It was like each ray of sunlight was reaching out to Tristan, trying to touch the beautiful being before retreating for the day. The clouds seemed to draw near as well, swelling up in size and imitating the sky's brilliant hues. The intensity of the whole sky left Serenity breathless. Almost as breathless as the sight of Tristan basking in the glow of the horizon. It was like all life was being drawn towards him, trying to get one last glimpse of his being before retiring for the night.

Serenity shivered at the exquisite sight before her. Tristan noticed and frowned. Serenity silently cursed herself for being the cause of a frown on his face.

"Are you cold?" He asked, his voice full of concern. All Serenity could do was nod dumbly. Without hesitation, Tristan picked her up as he unzipped his coat jacket part way. He placed the cold puppy in the jacket and zipped it up. Serenity was sandwiched between Tristan's warm chest and his jacket. She felt his warmth permeate her whole body as she relaxed into him.

"That better?" Again, Serenity was dumbstruck and was only able to nod. He smiled that electric smile at her once again as she turned into mush. She snuggled into his warm embrace, relishing in the embrace. They sat like that against the tree, watching the sunset as the moon rose high above them, greeting the night and the stars together.

So the bad news about another posting so quickly is that it means I might be late with the next one. But I'm not entirely sure. Maybe if I'm motivated by enough reviews…..


	7. Bathroom Encounters

Hey there, I'm back! It's been a really hectic few weeks. I've been swamped with school work. Darn those AP classes! But I'm managing and FINALLY found some time to update which I am incredibly sorry for keeping you waiting for.  
I apologize again and hope that you enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: please don't make me face reality again (

* * *

Chapter 7

Serenity stared up into the sky with a complete feeling of ease. She unconsciously sunk back deeper into Tristan's embrace as the night grew progressively colder. She mentally sighed as she heard Tristan voice the same thing. She craned her neck further back to land on Tristan's face. He was staring up at the sky, not paying an ounce of attention to her at the moment. Serenity actually found that she didn't mind being ignored at the moment. It proved to be a great opportunity to stare at him.

Tristan was such a mystery, so full of surprises. She's spent less than a complete day in his company and she had already learned more about him than she did in the past years of knowing him. She felt a slight pang of guilt at the thought. She never really did give Tristan that much of her attention. She was always more focused on something else.

'He was always there, in the background. But never really there, standing out in my mind. But that's not really his fault.'

'_That's right. It's your fault.' _She flinched at the thought. It was true though. Before today, Serenity had never given him the time of day, always focusing on something else. Her mind turned back to the conversation she had with him that afternoon as he bandaged her paw.

"Oh my gosh, look at him. Doesn't he look different?" Serenity's thoughts were interrupted as she heard whispering behind them.

"See! I told you he was kinda cute." An irritatingly high-pitched voice whispered rather loudly in response.

"Are you kidding me? He's past cute now. He's in the adorable-hot borderline right now. Think I should ask him out?" Serenity snapped her head to the side, a growl forming on her lips. She narrowed her eyes as she saw two teenagers, roughly Tristan's age, ogling Tristan in a not so subtle way. Well, maybe it was at least a little bit subtle; Tristan had yet to notice the leeches whispering about him. He just continued to watch the sky, wrapping his arms around his torso to provide extra warmth to his puppy. At the sight, the schoolgirls let out an aggravating squeal.

Serenity let out a deep, feral growl, directed towards the girls. The two froze at the vicious little dog, caught by surprise.

"Are you okay Keiko?" Tristan looked down, curious as to what she was growling at. Serenity just continued to growl, baring her teeth at the girls. Tristan turned to see what she was so angry at. Tristan's eyebrows rose as he saw the two girls shyly wave at him. He waved back, slightly confused at seeing them leaning from behind a tree with Keiko growling so menacingly at them. They just giggled and walked away.

"Huh, wonder what that was about." He looked back down to see the face of a very exasperated puppy.

"You seriously don't know?" Tristan just looked down with a confused expression. "You're something Tristan. You're really something." Tristan just shrugged and stood up.

"Well, it's getting late. We should head back." Serenity whimpered when Tristan reached to take her out. Tristan frowned a bit.

"You okay?" Serenity lowered her head in embarrassment. She was just too comfortable there.

"No, I'm fine. I just want to stay here." She backed into Tristan, signaling her desire to stay where she was. Tristan merely smiled down.

"Lazy bum." He muttered half-heartedly. Serenity glared at him with less than full force.

"Home sweet home." Tristan said softly to no one in particular. Serenity started to doze off during the walk, silently falling into a peaceful slumber. Tristan made his way up the stairs to his room. He gently removed Keiko and placed her on his pillow softly, not wanting to wake her. His attempts were useless however when the puppy awoke anyways.

"Wha-? Where…are we?" She groggily looked around, taking in her surroundings. "Ah, Tristan's room. Hm, how'd we get here?" She wondered aloud, not recalling her little escapade through dreamland. All she heard was his light chuckle from beside the bed.

"I swear, you have no setting between off and high." Serenity's head snapped up, immediately awake at full force.

"Mom," she whispered. The reminder brought Serenity's mind back to a state of worried nervousness, the desire to go home increasing within her. She had totally forgotten about home ever since coming back with Tristan.

"She'll be so worried." But wait, she was on a business trip the whole week. She more likely than not had no idea of what happened. The thought weirdly put Serenity at a somewhat state of ease.

"Is everything okay Keiko?" Tristan had not missed the puppy's disturbed expression.

"Huh? Oh, everything's fine!" Her bark was a bit louder than normal, almost as if she was trying to convince herself of it. Tristan had not noticed the affected attitude she had taken on. He picked her back up with utmost care, bringing her back up to him. Serenity didn't show any sign of notice. This really worried Tristan. He took her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Hey there, whatever it is, it'll be fine. No need to worry." His soothing words had a calming effect on Serenity as she relaxed once again. When Tristan said it, she believed it. Serenity pondered to herself as she reacquainted herself with his warmth.

"So…not trying to ruin the nice, feel-good attitude here, but you ready for your bath?" Serenity's ears perked.

"A bath as in water? And soap? With scrubbing and rinsing?" For some reason, she didn't like the idea much. She shook her head, signifying her wish to stay dry.

"Aw come on. It's fun, and you smell bad." He grinned at her, noting the offended look she shot his way.

"I do not need a bath!" She jumped out of his arms and walked a few feet away, sitting down and staring at Tristan intently. Tristan just sighed.

"Let me put it this way…"His sentence trailed off, leaving Serenity hanging on his next words, which never came. Out of nowhere, Tristan lunges at her, capturing her in a tight grasp before she could even react. He promptly brought her to the bathroom and dropped her in a bathtub filled with warm, soapy water.

"Ack! TRISTAN!" She barked as loudly as she could. She was drenched! Her fur was slick and dripping, matting to her skin and weighing her down. All he did was laugh at her displeased (but still cute) puppy face.

"See? It's not that bad!" Tristan knelt down next to the tub, a smug look on his face. Serenity was suddenly struck by inspiration. As Tristan was reaching for a washcloth, she ran across the tub and back, making the biggest splash possible, drenching Tristan to a very saturated state.

"What was that for?" Tristan cleared his eyes, making it possible to glare at the dog. Serenity had a look of pure innocence plastered on her smiling face.

"Aw, it's not that bad!" she barked sweetly. She continued to be difficult, running around, splashing and making it hard for Tristan to properly wash her. She was actually having a lot of fun in the bath. Maybe bathes weren't so bad after all.

"Hey! Stay still already. Kei-KEIKO!" But his shouts were useless as the now re-energized puppy jumped and played around as if she just ate a whole bag of sugar. Finally, he managed to get a firm hold on the dog, smirking in triumph. But as he kept his focus on the squirming creature in his hands, he lost balance and fell into the tube with a loud SPLASH!

Tristan pushed himself off of the tub floor, sitting on the tiles. Tonight wasn't going as he had planned. But then again, it probably would have never gone as planned. They never go as planned. He tucked his wet legs under him, sitting Indian style in the bathtub, glaring down at the puppy that was…. laughing at him? Keiko was on her back, rolling from side to side making short pants of barking-like noises.

"What are you laughing at?" He snarled, loosing menace every second he watched the cute little thing do her stuff. She stopped, and with such self-control, looked up at him with that sickeningly innocent face.

"Why, you, silly!" She barked sweetly. 'I can SO be an actress. Man I'm good!' she thought as she congratulated herself on keeping a straight face. But after taking a second glance at Tristan, funny was the last word she'd use to describe him.

His whole body was dripping wet. His clothes were clinging to his skin, molding into his toned body. He removed his blue polo shirt before washing her, leaving him in his now wet white undershirt. His hair was no longer in his trademark spike but in thousands of tiny spike, some sticking in all directions while others were matted down on his head.

'_Did he always look like that?'_ She wondered to herself, trying her best not to drool.

"Okay, that's enough fun for today. I'm going to go clean up and then I'll be back for you." He stood up to get out of the tub, leaving Serenity alone in the room.

Suddenly, she felt very lonely and secluded. Here she was, a puppy and far away from home, and now all alone. She needed Tristan to come back, she needed her comfort back. She needed her Tristan.

Wait a minute, her comfort? Her Tristan?

'_What's going on with me?'_

* * *

_So...how was it? Review if you liked it, and if you didn't...well, humor me. just kidding. But seriously, review anyways and complain to your heart's desire._


	8. Wet fur and funky hair

Okay, so after my very, very, VERY long absence, I'm back with a chapter! You guys have no idea how many times I have rewritten this chapter. I just can't seem to get this right. I tried incorporating some other ideas in and stuff. see how it turned out.

* * *

Chapter 8

Serenity had no idea what was going on.

"_Why am I feeling this way? What could it possibly be?" _She had no clue what it was. All she knew was that she didn't like it. She didn't like how it made her question her feelings. She didn't like how she felt dependent on Tristan not just physically, but emotionally as well. Why did she have this giant hole in her tiny, furry chest? It didn't make sense at all, which added to the frustration. Since having no outlet to express her frustrations at such things, she felt it was only appropriate that she be angry at Tristan. It was all his fault... somehow.

"Ready to get out now?" Tristan reappeared at the door, dried off and dressed for bed in a white undershirt and basketball shorts, a towel in hand. Serenity barely acknowledged him, just turning her back to him and huffing a very frustrated breath.

"Keiko? Everything okay?" He raised an eyebrow when she scooted towards the end of the tub, away from him.

"_Oh, like you don't already know!" _Serenity's mind shouted. Serenity knew she was being unreasonable, but she couldn't help it. She was an immature puppy. She continued her vow of silence, trying to make the message all the more clear.

Tristan sighed in exasperation and kneeled down next to the tub, placing his elbows on the side.

"What's wrong?" Serenity detected concern in his voice, using her super sensitive ears. Or maybe he was just REALLY concerned. The thought didn't occur to her until later. "Did I upset you?"

Serenity's resolve was breaking, slowly, but surely breaking. She could feel his anxiety weighing down his voice. She had to use all of her will power just to not turn around and sneak a peak at him.

"_This is a LOT harder than I thought it would be."_

Tristan audibly sighed once more before continuing.

"I'm sorry. For whatever I did to upset you." Serenity's wall started to crumble.

_"Damn these weak puppy nerves!"_

"Forgive me?" Tristan inwardly cringed. He was so whipped, apologizing with no idea what for.

"_Oh forget it!" _Without any warning, Serenity ran back towards the front of the tub, taking the biggest leap she could muster and landed straight onto Tristan.

Having caught Tristan by surprise, he toppled backwards onto the bathroom floor, his arms instinctively wrapping his arms around Keiko. Soon after, he was lying on the floor with a wet puppy soaking his shirt and licking his face.

"Hey! You're getting me wet all over again!" Serenity ignored him and continued with her shower of forgiveness. Soon, Tristan gave up on staying dry and just laid on his back, enjoying the moment.

"So does this mean you're not angry anymore?" She licked his cheek in an affirmative response. He merely laughed at the gesture.

"Glad to hear it." Tristan mentally sighed. He was relieved that he wouldn't have to deal with a moody puppy tonight. He removed her from his chest and wrapped her up in a towel, bringing her into his room. He set her in his lap and he started to towel off the moisture from her fur.

Serenity merely sat still, patiently waiting for him to be done. His hands were gentle as they dried her fur. It was a comfortable feeling, not too different from a massage. Her eyes started to droop down as she became sleepy once again. She couldn't hold back the yawn that escaped her lips. It just felt too comfortable!

"Tired? I'm almost done." Serenity just nodded, acknowledging his words. She set her front legs down onto his lap, resting on her belly as she dozed off.

Tristan finished off the last tuff of fur and set the towel aside. He placed her gently on his pillow, making sure she was as comfortable as possible. He turned off his lamp and climbed into bed with her. As the last vestiges of consciousness left him, he wrapped an arm around his new friend, bringing her closer to him in a delicate embrace.

The sun rose quietly in the sky, peeking through Tristan's open window. A single ray climbed its way up his bed, inching its way towards the sleeping pair. It just barely grazed Tristan's face as it slipped right by him and landed right on Serenity.

The puppy cringed at the bright light trying to invade her dreams. She curled up around herself and snuggled deeper into Tristan, trying to escape the rude awakening. But it was too late; the sun had found its target and was relentless in its goal to rip them mercilessly from nice sleep to the harsh reality. Serenity gave up and slowly opened her eyes. Yes, the sun was evil. In fact, it was possibly one of the purest, evilest, most despicable forms of evil. Why so many people worshipped or loved it was beyond her.

But as she came out into the 'harsh reality', the first thing she saw was a sleeping Tristan. She stopped all movement, suddenly aware of how silent it was and not wanting to wake the sleeping figure in front of her. He looked so… so different. He still looked like the same ol' Tristan, but a slightly different version. The still-sleeping-while-unaware-of-someone-watching-candid version. It was pleasing to look at, as were the other versions of him.

His eyes were loosely closed, relaxed over what she knew were dark, iridescent eyes. His skin was dark and tanned, a contrast to the bleach white undershirt he wore, now wrinkled with sleep. She eyed his skin with jealousy, envying its unblemished surface. It looked so smooth and soft. Serenity couldn't resist, she had to feel it. Carefully, she crawled out of Tristan's grasp, exposing herself to the cool morning breeze. She took a few tentative steps forward; doing everything she could to not disturb him. When she decided she was close enough, she stretched a small paw forwards. Her whole paw was shaking in anticipation and excitement. It felt it took an eternity to get even an inch closer to him, but she managed to gently land a paw on his cheek. It was so warm and soft and comfortable.

Tristan lightly stirred, causing Serenity to freeze. She didn't want him to wake up just yet. Why? She mentally shrugged.

"_Just because,"_ she thought. Fortunately for her, Tristan shifted just a little before settling down again. Serenity slowly walked around the pillow, circling the sleeping teen. She stopped after a full circle at the top of the pillow, right above Tristan's hair. His hair was still just barely damp, having sleep without drying it. The strands were clumping together and sticking up in all directions. Adorable, was her first thought. Tristan with bed hair was definitely something that must been seen to believe. Serenity actually liked the new style better. Maybe because it was just new.

Suddenly, a great idea popped into her head. She stabilized herself on her hind legs and stuck her front paws into Tristan's damp hair. Slowly and patiently, Serenity styled Tristan's hair. She mentally giggled. How lucky was she? She barely knew a handful of guys who would let someone touch their hair, let alone style it for them. But now, she had the opportunity to shape Tristan into the perfect man.

Well…maybe it wasn't quite the same. She wasn't exactly 'shaping' anything (it was just hair) and more likely than not he would put it back to its original state. But something inside of her smiled with glee at the prospect of choosing his look for him. Her inner stylist was jumping with joy.

When she was finally satisfied, Serenity sat back and looked at her model with satisfaction.

"_I'm pretty good at this." _After many different trials, Serenity had settled with the popular American hawk. A Mohawk? Fohawk?

"_Who cares what it's called. It looks nice." _

Serenity circled Tristan once more, admiring her work. Overall, she did a pretty good job. Tristan looked different…better yet still retaining his Tristan-ness. And given the facts that she had limited supplies, Tristan's unfavorable position, and that she possessed no thumbs, she did a freakin' good job.

Just as she finished admiring her work, the said manikin woke up. Tristan yawned loudly, barely covering his mouth. He stretched his arms and shoulders, getting the crinks out of the joints. He then arched his back, stretching out his back like a cat. He looked around, getting the last vestiges of morning haze out of his eyes.

Tristan awoke from a great sleep, stretching out and enjoying the bright summer morning. But something was off, askew. He looked around the bed and realized that Keiko was gone. Actually, just misplaced. He found her sitting at the top of the pillow, making sounds that seemed to resemble a giggle.

"What are you so happy about?" Tristan asked. She just barked and wagged her tail. Tristan smiled back. But something still felt off. His head, the weight displacement felt wrong. Tristan gently felt around his hair, feeling for any displacement. He was expecting a mass of bed hair, but to his surprise found it in a relatively clean and neat order. He took a sideways glance at he dog and saw her give him a toothy smile.

"What did you do?" He asked, curious to her response. She just barked again and wagged her tail more furiously. Tristan got out of bed and went into the bathroom. He immediately came back out and stood in the doorway of the room.

"Did you do this?" She barked a few times and hopped off the bed and ran towards him into the bathroom. Tristan shook his head.

"_What kind of dog ARE you?"_ he thought. Tristan never thought he was the good-looking-hair type, but he had to admit, the dog was good. For some superbly weird reason, he thought that Serenity would like it when he saw her next time.

* * *

So, wierd chapter, huh? I'm kinds getting low on ideas. I'm open to any suggestions. )


	9. Jealous? Me?

Sorry about the last chapter. It really was wierd. So anyways, I hope this chapter makes up for that! I hope you guys enjoy it! I promise, it's much better...hopefully.

* * *

Chapter 9

Serenity ran through the upstairs hallway with great excitement.

"Breakfast!" She barked happily. She hopped down the stairs as fast as she could (which wasn't that fast) and ran into the kitchen, making loud clicking noises on the hardwood floor. Tristan was right behind her.

"Whoa, slow down there! Don't want you to run into anything now." And just as the words left his mouth, Serenity stopped and slid…right into a cabinet door with a loud THUD.

"Ow." She whimpered. Tristan just sighed and bent down onto his knees. He scooped the puppy into his arms.

"I told you so." Serenity glared at him and swatted his cheek in a light slap with her paw.

"Hey there! No need to get violent!" He joked. He placed her on the tile counter as he prepared breakfast. He stuck his torso into the refrigerator, looking for ingredients to possibly throw together into a semblance of a meal.

Serenity paced back and forth on the counter. She didn't go too far from the middle though. The counter _was _rather high up.

"What are you in the mood for?" Tristan brought himself out of the refrigerator and looked at the puppy.

"Hmm, I feel like eggs today. And bacon, definitely bacon. Oh! Sausages! I want sausages too! Wait, no. Potatoes! HASH BROWNS! Or maybe pancakes. Waffles?" She barked out her orders hysterically. Tristan noticed the trouble she had deciding.

'_It's almost like watching Joey choose from a menu. Uncanny resemblance there._' He thought. His thoughts then drifted from one blond haired friend to his younger, brunette sib –

'_Whoa! Don't even go there Tristan. That's another world of heartache.'_ He mentally chastised himself. He figured, if he either started thinking realistically, therefore preparing for possible rejection, he should at least try and stop these feelings. Of course that never came close to working. In the end, not thinking about her or avoiding her made it hurt all the more.

"HEY! Are you writing these down? I'm not going to repeat myself!" The ever-patient customer, Serenity barked out her orders at top speed. Tristan just shook his head and went to collecting the ingredients needed.

"How about I make your life easier than it already is and make a bit of everything for you. Plus, it increases the chances of me actually cooking something that's edible." His past experiences at cooking were not the best, but they were progressing, if slowly. But at least he didn't set anything on fire…anymore.

"I highly doubt anything is beyond my standards of edibility, especially when I'm this hungry." Serenity encouraged Tristan as much as possible. Partly out of support, but mostly out of hunger.

"Off you go, I don't want anything happening to you while I'm cooking. In fact, you'd better stay out of the kitchen." Tristan took her off of the counter and set her on the couch, a safe distance away from him and the hot stove. Serenity pouted. She didn't like to be this far away from the action. Or maybe she didn't want to be this far from Tristan. She instantly froze.

"_No. No. No, that's not it Action, I don't like to be this far away from the action. Not Tristan, action, not Tristan. I don't like to be this far away from Tris- ARGH!" _Serenity gave up on that train of thought. At least she knew what she meant. And that's all that mattered. If only she were a bit more sure of herself. She tuned around and peeked over the back of the couch. Tristan was reluctantly putting on a bright pink frilly apron with white polka dots dotted all over. Serenity almost burst out laughing right on the spot. It was adorable how he deemed it necessary to wear the apron to cook her breakfast. Almost like a good housewife, or a sweet boyfriend. Almost.

The last thought brought a longing sensation with it. She longed to have a boyfriend like that, who would wear ridiculous aprons to do such sweet things like cook breakfast for her. She could always vividly picture Duke in that image, making her normally long for it even more. But at the moment, the image was far more comical than it was romantic. She took another look at Tristan. This time it was a far less funny image and a much, much more adorable scene. He ran around the kitchen, trying to cook the bacon, beat the eggs, and squeeze the oranges all at once without ruining anything.

Serenity continued to watch Tristan go about cooking breakfast when the doorbell caught both of their attention. A frown graced his features.

"Wonder who that could be." He mused aloud. Serenity hopped off the couch, also curious as to whom the visitor was. Tristan opened the door only to be assaulted by a blond blur. Tristan let out a shout of surprise and fell backward with the thing on top of him. Serenity yelped and immediately ran over to him.

Tristan was on his back with a girl on his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

"OH MY GOSH TRISTAN! It's been forever since I last saw you!" the blond bimbo, as Serenity immediately named her, squealed.

"Oh my gosh, how have you been? You grown so much! Look at you. Quite the handsome man now. Oh come here you!" Tristan helped her off the ground only to be viciously hugged again. Serenity heard herself growl menacingly. But it looked like Tristan was the only one who noticed and gave her a quick concerned glance, before returning to the blond bimbo.

"Hey, yeah it has been a long time. How have you been?" Tristan asked while trying to politely pry her arms from around his neck. Serenity would've gladly helped if she weren't so consumed by rage. He managed to free himself when the windbag started to talk again.

"Oh my gosh, you wouldn't believe me! America has been so awesome! It's totally cool over there. There weather is just to DIE FOR!" she screeched.

"Really now? And yet you're still alive…" Serenity barked snippily.

"Oh my gosh!"

"_Does she ever stop saying that?" _

"That is the CUTEST thing I have ever seen!" The blond bimbo crouched down and started to advance on Serenity. She gulped at the hulking mass coming her way. Before she even knew it, she trapped in a tight, suffocating hug with no escape. Serenity flailed around miserably, looking to Tristan for help. She just saw him trying to retain his laughter. She glared menacingly at him. Oh he will pay.

"Oh my gosh! When did you get this widdle pwecious thing?" She set Serenity back onto the ground, but not out of her grasp. She put her hands on both sides of Serenity's face, making cooing in an aggravating baby voice.

"Oh god, someone shut that thing up!" Serenity made her best attempt to bark, but came out muffled. Finally, Tristan decided to intervene. He politely stepped in between them and picked up Serenity.

"This is Keiko. I just found her yesterday actually. Keiko, this is my old neighbor, Ashley." Serenity gave a very, VERY curt nod. But apparently the blondy named Ashley didn't notice. Or didn't care. Serenity did a quick take of the annoying creature before her. She had to admit, at least the bimbo had looks.

Ashley Jones had the typical, LA girl look. She wore very fashionable (not to mention pricey) clothes, complete with sunglasses and Gucci purse that she clutched onto for dear life. Serenity wished she was able to talk at the moment. She would love to see the look on Ashley's face when she finds out the purse is a cheap knockoff. She was tall, even without heels. She had long, strawberry blond hair (clearly artificial to some amount) and lots and lots of makeup on.

"Oh my gosh! She is so adorable! You two make such a perfect match together!" Tristan raised an eyebrow at the comment, while Serenity only stared.

"Um…thank you?" Tristan answered unsure of himself.

The blond thing just laughed shrilly.

"I mean you two look like a good pair. You two complement each other. Like….like…ACCESSORIES!" She made…some sort of sense.

"Oh, that's great. Um… would you like to stay for breakfast?" Tristan was such a well-mannered child. His mother taught him well.

"_For once, why can't the guy be rude and kick the thing out of here?_"

"Oh, that sounds great! It's too bad though, I can't stay that long. I've got to go soon. But I can stay and chat for a bit." The blonde bimbo took a seat at the couch as Tristan went back to preparing breakfast.

"So what have been up to Tristan? Besides picking up stray dogs here and there." Serenity found she had an amazing amount of self control as she stopped herself from attacking the whore for calling her a stray.

"Don't call Keiko a stray. She's my friend now." Tristan defended light-heartedly, but firmly. The idiot just laughed it off.

"Well you look real busy. I mean, you've changed a lot when I last saw you." She eyed him up and down, she stare devouring him. "Changed, A LOT."

This time, Serenity couldn't stop as the growl escaped her lips. Only the blonde wonder never heard her, and just gave her a look from the corner of her eye.

Tristan and the hooch exchanged memories, reminiscing past experiences with each other. The blonde _thing_ was obviously more interested in staring at his body rather than pay attention to his words, but Tristan barely noticed.

As breakfast was almost finished, Tristan became more and more focused, determined not to ruin anything when so close to the finish line. As Tristan became more and more engrossed in his work, Ashley stared harder and harder, which caused Serenity to growl even louder.

"You're a lucky little dog, you know that?" The comment caught Serenity off guard, her smile confusing her. Immediately, Serenity went back to growling at the intruder.

"Keiko? Is everything okay?" Tristan had finally finished the perfect meal. No burnt food, not kitchen fires, nothing. He plated everything for them when he heard Serenity growl loudly. He turned to find her growling at an unusually calm Ashley.

"Oh no, everything is fine." Ashley answered while standing up. She walked over to Tristan and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

"I would be selfish and keep you all to myself too if I were her." She left on that note and walked right out of the door.

"_Selfish? Keeping him for myself? What is that psycho talking about?"_

* * *

So...what do you think? Well don't just sit there and answer me! Review and complain or yell or scream. Whatever! Of course I'd except compliments too (but I'm not holding my breath). You can tell from the quality of writing that I'm not in a very healthy state of mind. R&R por favor!


	10. Fantasy for Piano

Here's chappie diez! I finished it so much faster than others, I'm so happy! ) I hope you guys enjoy this a lot.

Thanks so much to my loyal reviewers! You make this all worth it, from your wonderful praise to your constructive criticism (which I need more of), they make me a better writer.

Disclaimer: I noticed that I have been neglecting my duties as a good citizen to note that I do not own anything except my own characters (which I am too lazy to list at the moment). AH! I'm such a bad person! sob But can you guys really blame me for at least trying to delude myself into thinking that I do own them?...whatever. I need professional help.

AND ON TO THE STORY!

* * *

Chapter 10

Now finally alone, Tristan set the "table" for their breakfast at the living room coffee table. Tristan was quite pleased with himself for his great achievement. He managed to cook a multi-course breakfast without ruining anything. Now all that was left was the taste. Tristan was more than apprehensive to stick the food in his mouth. Sure, it looked fine, but that really had no indication of how it actually tasted.

He looked down to the floor where Keiko was devouring her plate. It couldn't be that bad if she could handle it right? Carefully, he speared a fluffy yellow piece of egg, along with some not-too-greasy-but-greasy-enough-to-taste-good looking sausage, and popped it into his mouth before he lost his nerve.

'_Hm, not bad at all. In fact, it's quite good.' _As he ate more and more of his breakfast, he started to enjoy himself more and more. '_Damn I'm good!'_

Serenity, as if feeling his ego explode, gave him a pointed expression as if trying to burst his ego down to its normal size.

After finishing their meal, Tristan did a quick clean up as the two of them prepared for their busy, jam-packed day.

"So……….what's up?" Tristan asked casually as they lounged around the living room. It was ten o'clock. Neither had moved since breakfast, already bored out of their minds.

Serenity barely responded, making a noncommittal movement of her head. She eyed the room, searching for something to catch her attention. She was, after all, a puppy. How hard could it be to amuse her? Then, something caught her eye.

There was a piece of furniture, Serenity assumed. It was tall and long, covering a good chunk of the wall. It was covered by a large white, frilly cloth, obviously hand sewn. Intrigued, Serenity sauntered over, trying to contain her curiosity. The _thing _was very old, judging from the amount of dust surrounding it. The cloth came down on all sides, almost touching the floor. Serenity poked her head under the cloth, hoping to see what it was. Unfortunately, the cloth was too thick and obscured any light from helping her discern the object.

The cloth lifted up off of her head as Tristan kneeled down next to the dog and picked up the cloth.

"What are you looking at?" He asked. Serenity barely acknowledged him and just nodded towards the giant _thing_. Tristan followed her muzzle to where she was pointing it.

"What? That old thing?" He pointed at the dark brown wood.

"No, I'm looking at the bright pink dust bunny on the wall." She barked sarcastically. Tristan suppressed a chuckle. Did she just roll her eyes?

Tristan stood up in front of the thing. In one dramatic motion, he flung the cloth off, causing the dust to fly all over the two of them. When the dust had settled, both of them were nicely saturated with dust.

Serenity glared at Tristan as he gave a sheepish grin.

"Whoops?" Tristan shrugged. There it was again! He saw it this time. She definitely rolled her eyes that time!

Serenity shook her fur clear of dust, causing some particles to fly up her nose, making her sneeze. The tiny sound brought a smile to Tristan's face.

"_Cute."_ He thought.

"Well…mystery solved! It's a piano." He lifted the cap and picked Serenity up as he sat down on the creaky bench. He gently fingered the keys, pushing down lightly once or twice, creating a soft whisper of a note. The note was slightly off with disuse, but it still held its pure resonance that filled the silent room. Tristan continued to stare at the patterned ivory, a blank look on his face.

Serenity impatiently scuttled out of his grasp. For some reason, she had the need to play the piano.

Serenity had taken lessons before. For many years actually. It was a skill she would need in the future. At least it was according to her mother. She never really liked it that much. She loved the sound of the piano though; it was what drew her to want to learn it. But Serenity learned the hard way that playing music wasn't quite the same as just listening to it.

"_I wonder if Tristan plays…" _Serenity mused as she sat on his lap.

It looked as though he was going to play a song, his hands placing themselves in front of the keys, his fingers lying gently on top of them. He left them there, a concentrated look on his face as if trying to recall the notes from a far corner of his memory. As he stared at the keys, Serenity stared at him. She felt oddly drawn to him (even more so than lately), hanging on his every move. Just then, the telephone rang, its loud blaring interrupting the scene. Serenity cursed the blasted appliance under her breath.

Tristan stood to answer it, leaving Serenity on the bench.

"Don't just leave me stranded on the bench!" Serenity barked after him. Tristan turned around.

Keiko was stranded on the stool. It was too high up for her to jump down safely and the piano was too far away to leap onto. An evil grin crept up onto his face as he weighed the options.

"HELLO! Helpless puppy needs help!" Se barked impatiently. Tristan shook his head and sighed.

"_I am so whipped._" It was the second time the thought had crossed his mind. He picked her up off the stool and set her on the piano to let her have some fun. The moment Serenity's paws touched the keys she was prancing around, making as much noise as possible.

"_I knew I would regret that._" He thought as he cringed at an especially discordant group of notes.

"Hello?" Tristan picked up the phone.

"Hey Trist - Is everything alright over there? It sounds pretty crazy over there." Tea's voice was lined with worry. He just chuckled.

"Everything's fine over here." He responded.

"Are you sure? It's not Joey is it?" Her tone changed as she imagined what possible damage her house could be sustaining at the moment. Tristan chuckled whole-heartedly.

"No, it's not Joey. It's Keiko." He reassured her.

"Who?" Tristan forgot. No one else knew the dog's name.

"The puppy."

"Oh, alright then. So anyways, I was calling you to inform you that Yugi was planning a camping trip for all of us this week."

"Is that it?" Tristan asked tentatively.

"What? What do you mean?"

"You called me just to tell me that?"

"Well I wanted to make sure you could go." Tea's voice took on a defensive tone.

"Tea, you could've told me an hour before we left and I would still go. You know that. So what's with the formal announcement?" Tea sighed in defeat.

"Alright, you got me. You see, in order to get up to the campground, we need a driver since it's not like we can take the bus or anything like that. So, being the only one in our group with a driver's license, you were… selected, to transport us all there!"

"So what is this, a warning?"

"Pretty much, and to make sure that you can borrow your parents' car."

Tristan thought about it for a second. His parents were out of town for a week, visiting a sick uncle in the hospital in Tokyo. They left everything to him, as long as he took good care of everything, which included the car. But his parents trusted him with the vehicle…as long as Joey was not riding it with anything that could possibly explode, spill, break, dent something…as long as Joey wasn't holding anything.

"Yeah, I should be able to take us all there." Tristan reassured.

"GREAT! I'll tell the others! See you in a few days!" The line clicked and then went dead. Tristan silently hung up the phone as Keiko's incessant noise making came back to his ears. A smile rose to his lips.

Serenity was having such a blast! She jumped down extra hard on some keys, creating such a discordant sound. Oh, if only her piano teacher could hear her now. A shadow loomed over her, blocking the light. Serenity looked up to see Tristan, smiling goofily as he sat on the bench.

"Having fun?" He asked.

Serenity nodded her head vigorously. She was having a LOT of fun.

Tristan merely chuckled at that. He then carefully placed his hands on the piano again, trying to find the right position.

Serenity noticed him preparing for a piece. She quickly and quietly moved to the side, tiptoeing across the keys, resting at the spot where the last stick of ivory nestled into the wood. He was going to play this time, and Serenity was going to hear all of it.

Tristan noticed Keiko's sudden change in demeanor. He smiled and shook his head. Well, if she wanted to hear him play THAT badly, then who was he to deny her of that? Digging through his mind, he tried to find something to play. Nothing too hard. He didn't want to mess up in front of his audience.

He didn't know why tit mattered so much. Something just told him that he really needed to impress her. Finally, he came upon the perfect song. He made it up a few years ago. It still wasn't perfect, but he thought it would be perfect for her. Carefully, gently he pressed down on the keys, creating a gentle chord that rose up from the piano.

Serenity watched as Tristan slowly transitioned each note and chord carefully, with such intention. As he continued to play, he became more and more engrossed in the music. He started to play a bit faster, increasing the pace of each and every note till he was playing at a nice and moderate tempo; a relaxing speed. Each note floated out of the piano, drifting in the air as the sound resonated.

The song was simple in mechanics and rhythm and all that other useless stuff. But Tristan was playing with so much depth, so much emotion. He closed his eyes as he concentrated on the music. The harmony rose up to meet the melody, weaving in and out, intertwining together into a homogenous mixture of sound that wafted throughout. It was relaxing, soothing as the sound fell to Serenity's ears.

Serenity was surprised to say the least. As a musician, she was surprised at the difficulty of placing so much life and vitality into a piece and how well Tristan accomplished that. Mrs. Natsumoto would die for the chance to teach Tristan. As a friend, Serenity was surprised at everything. The fact that he could even play the piano was a momentous discovery. And when it turns out he has this much skill, it blew her away.

Serenity was captivated with the sight in front of her. He swayed lightly, almost afraid that he would be taking it too far with the movement. His fingers moved on their own accord, finding each and every note with such precision and timing.

Serenity found with each and every moment she spent in Tristan's company, she was enjoying it more and more. She was frightened at the thought of being stuck in her current form, but she found it hard to keep those fears grounded as she more time with Tristan.

"_Think of what I almost missed out on." _The thought of being anywhere else besides with Tristan scared her. Something within her started with fright. What if Tristan didn't find her? Would she still be out in the streets? Would some sadistic teenager pick her up and do God knows what with her? Serenity became increasingly thankful each and every moment that Tristan was her savior.

That's when it hit her. She was more scared of leaving Tristan, of not being in his sphere of comfort and protection. She was more scared of leaving than she was of never leaving.

But she wasn't sure what it was that made her feel all panicky. The thought of never hearing this wonderful music, or never discovering this side of Tristan? Slowly, she was beginning to lean towards the latter.

* * *

So...whaddya think? Good, bad? Bien, malo? I need feedback! Please review. pwetty pwease?


	11. The Taylor 'Heirloom'

I'm back in time for the holiday season. YIPEE!!! I am a bit dissappointed that I can't have a Christmas chapter yet. But it would just make it too confusing.

So off to something that I really should start doing: my thank-yous.  
To my so very wonderful/loyal reviewers, thank you so much.  
marken - you are always giving me great feedback and I thank you for that  
Landi Mclellan - I haven't heard from you for a while, but never the less, I appreciate your constant reviews. They really help  
Kitab Al Mawta - you are my newest reviewer, but you've shown great support for me.  
It's because of those few but wonderful reviewers that I continue to write.

Disclaimer: I own abso-tively-lutely nothing besides my own characters. You can figure out who those are.

* * *

Chapter 11

As Tristan continued to play, Serenity found herself becoming more and more relaxed. The notes were soothing as the melodies wrapped around her in a cocoon of comfort. Suddenly, the music came to an abrupt end, right in the middle of the song.

Serenity snapped out of her daze and looked up quizzically at Tristan. He gave her a shy smile and ducked his head.

"That's all I know. I've never learned the whole thing before." Tristan didn't know why he was so embarrassed; neither did Serenity.

"What's with the face? You played wonderfully!" Serenity gently crawled her way back into his lap.

Tristan smiled at her.

"You liked it?" The bronze puppy nodded her head vigorously. His smile widened exponentially.

"I'm very glad. Sorry I didn't finish it though."

"Yeah…about that. Why didn't you finish?" Serenity inquired.

Tristan heard Keiko make some barking noises, assuming she asked him to elaborate.

"I wrote that song a while ago. I don't know why, but I just took some blank sheets and started writing."

Serenity stared at Tristan in disbelief. She was pretty sure her jaw was dangling.

Tristan laughed out loud at the sight of the dog with her lower jaw hanging open. He gently pushed it up, closing her mouth.

"It's not becoming of you to leave your mouth open." He joked.

Serenity decided to graciously ignore that.

"So anyways…continue." Serenity switched back to full concentration, curious for more details. Tristan understood the signal and continued,

"I was overflowing with inspiration back then, but I ended up running out."

_"Stupid inspiration. Had to crap out when it was getting good."_ She thought childishly.

"I guess I'm just waiting for someone to inspire me into completing it now." Tristan lied. He found his muse already. But he spent most of his time trying to catch her attention instead of continuing the piece.

Serenity sighed. It was all so romantic. Why couldn't she find a guy to write a song for her? Some girls just had all the luck1.

Serenity imagined Duke writing such a beautiful piece for her, performing it on a romantic night after a wonderful candlelit dinner…

Serenity frowned. For some reason, it just felt weird. It felt fake and forced. Then again, it seemed WAY too improbable that it was beyond fantasy. But she didn't mind. She didn't absolutely need a romantic boyfriend.

"_Right…That's the spirit! Go straight into denial IDIOT!" _Her conscience sure was sarcastic and mean. But it had a point. Duke just wasn't the kind of person to be so romantic as to compose music and such.

On the other hand, Serenity could easily see Tristan pulling it off. The dreams and scenarios with Tristan seemed much more appealing to her than the ones with Duke. She didn't realize the full impact of that decision until much later.

"Hey Keiko! Look what I found!" Serenity lazily picked her head up off of the soft cushions of the sofa.

After spending a lazy morning doing nothing, the two managed to break a record. Two fully cooked meals, made from scratch, without any disasters or damages to the kitchen. Afterwards, Tristan decided to work off his post-lunch sleepiness by occupying himself with…something. Serenity wasn't exactly paying attention to what was going on. Unlike the productive human, the temporarily non-human decided to work off the post-lunch snoozes by doing… well, nothing. She was determined to sleep away her tiredness. Simple and satisfying logic.

Tristan came bounding down the stairs with excitement. He clutched something in his hands, Serenity wasn't able to distinguish what though.

"Are you still sleeping? It's almost three o'clock!" Tristan asked in disbelief.

Serenity apathetically acknowledged him and put her head back down on the sofa.

"Come on! I've got a surprise for you…" Tristan hoped the incentive would put some vitality into the lethargic puppy.

Serenity lifted up her nose and sniffed. It sure didn't smell like food. She popped one eye open.

"Well that's fine and dandy, but unless it's something edible, then I really don't care right now." She went back to sleeping.

Tristan rolled his eyes.

"_Lazy thing." _Tristan decided to show Keiko her surprise, whether or not she wanted it.

Serenity felt Tristan pick her up into his lap as he slipped something on her. Finally, becoming too bothered to sleep anymore, Serenity opened her eyes. She looked down and saw a thin but durable red cloth tied around her neck.

It was a collar. The collar was wrapped snuggly around her neck, but not too tightly. There was a small dog tag on the front shaped like a bone with inscriptions on it.

"How is it? Comfortable?" Serenity nodded her head. She was still taking in the full impact of what just happened.

Tristan was smiling widely down on her.

"That's good. This belonged to our old dog. It was his mom's collar. So it's like a mini-heirloom." Tristan joked.

"It's just to make sure that if you get lost, people will bring you back here instead of keeping you."

The thought of being taken to some stranger's house and kept as their pet scared her. You never know what kind of people are out there.

Tristan picked her up and turned her around, holding her in his hands and facing him.

"Plus, now everyone knows you're mine." His eyes were shining, a happy sparkle in them. He looked like a little kid, meeting his best friend for the first time; hopeful and optimistic.

This was an official moment. She was officially his and no one else's.

Serenity blushed. She couldn't help it. She was so thankful to any higher being up in the heavens that it was Tristan who found her. She was a lucky girl, dog, whatever. More importantly, she was his.

There was no way for her to leave now, even if she truly wanted to.

"_I really should get back soon. Mom will be worried. Joey will be worried. I have responsibilities." _Serenity reasoned. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't convince herself to want to leave.

* * *

Thank you once again. I hope I made you guys shed some tears with my wonderful declaration of thanks at the begining...yeah right. But anyways, I hope it did win enough pitty points for...oh, say...a review maybe? winkwink 


	12. A little too affectionate? NEVER!

MERRY CHRISTMAS my wonderful readers! I've made it back alive! Sorry it took so long. I just couldn't seem to make thise chapter work. But it'll get better! Hopefully...

I really wanted to do something Christmas-y themed, but I dumbly set the story in a summer setting. The begining of summer, actually. So I thought that might be a bit wierd to jump to Christmas. But just a tiny bit.

Disclaimer: Why bother?

* * *

Chapter 12

The pair spent the rest of the afternoon lazily experimenting and getting reacquainted with the piano. Tristan would try and recall as many of the songs he played as a child as he could. Serenity would spend minutes at a time running rampant on top of the keys, creating a cacophony of random notes. Music to her ears.

Rather than pushing their luck with a third meal, Tristan decided to take Keiko to his favorite restaurant. He hooked a matching leash onto her collar as he took her outside.

The leash was a new feeling to Serenity, and frankly, it made her a bit uncomfortable. Having such restrictions didn't sit well with her. She didn't know why, it just didn't. After the first block with the leash on she decided that she really didn't like it. At every chance she could, she would try and take it off, but to no avail.

She was currently fidgeting around a mailbox, hoping it would somehow release her from the evil leash. Tristan just laughed.

"You can try all you want, but the mailbox isn't going to help you." Serenity just glared at him.

"Oh shut it. This is all your doing anyways!" She barked. After many more moments of struggling with the leash, Serenity gave up.

"So soon? You were almost there!" Tristan taunted. Serenity ignored his comment, a defeated look in her eyes as she reluctantly accepted her fate. Tristan frowned. He felt a pang of guilt surrounded by pain as he saw his charge's pain. He crouched down low to speak to her on an eye-to-eye level.

"Hey, you okay?" Serenity remained downcast. She didn't bother responding. Tristan was very worried now. In the whole time Keiko has been in his care, she had never been so melancholy and grave.

Tristan sighed. He put the collar on in the first place to try and keep her from running off too far. He was worried she would run away. He knew his fear were unfounded. She _did _have a collar with his address after all. She _did _enjoy his company as a companion. She didn't have anywhere else to go to his knowledge. But he still was afraid that she would run off.

He felt utterly ashamed and selfish at that moment. He restricted her freedom, no matter how small it really was, just to comfort himself. Was he really that insecure? With a big sigh, he unclipped the leash. Serenity looked up at him confused.

"What are you doing?" Serenity couldn't help but feel stupid at the question.

"_He's taking off the leash. DUH!" _But she didn't know why. She waited, hoping Tristan would explain.

"You're too uncomfortable with it on. It's not fair to do that to you yet." She let the words sink in. Did he just take it off because she was uncomfortable? She looked up to see an apologetic look flash across his face.

"_It's nice that he cares."_ She thought. She scuttled in closer and nuzzled his neck.

"Thank you." She licked him in a sign of her gratitude. Tristan smiled, making his face bright and happy again. Something that Serenity didn't even realize she missed.

Then they were off again. This time much happier as the puppy began to run and play, but making a conscientious effort to never straying too far from Tristan.

After a few more blocks, the pair reached a quaint little restaurant. It was one of those tiny, family owned restaurants that used the bottom floor garage as a dining area. Serenity sniffed the air and felt her mouth salivate.

The enticing aroma of various meats and spices wafted across the garage and into the street, attracting lost strangers into the warm and cozy restaurant. And that was basically what it was; cozy.

It was still hard and gray concrete floor and walls, minimal decorations and upholstery, and the kitchen in plain view of the tables. But for some reason, this place felt so comfortable. The walls weren't so much a hard cold gray concrete as it was a smooth slab of stone worn down from years of constant care and use.

Serenity loved this place already. It smelled wonderful, was warm and cozy, and inviting. If she wasn't already living with Tristan, she would definitely come here.

Currently, the restaurant was empty, but the two of them didn't mind. Just then, a short, stubby woman came of a door in the back of the garage. The woman was wearing a dark purple apron with a hair net tied on her head. Laugh lines traversed her face whenever she smiled her toothy grin. The woman looked up and beamed at Tristan. Tristan smiled and waved.

"Hey Mrs. Higashi." Tristan greeted with a polite bow. Mrs. Higashi just chuckled at him.

"Hello Tristan. It's been such a long time. I was wondering when you'd stop by." The woman smiled, warming the whole restaurant into a pleasant atmosphere. Tristan shrugged.

"I've been kinda busy lately." Mrs. Higashi nodded in understanding. Her eyes then fell onto the puppy next to him. Serenity instinctively moved closer towards Tristan.

"Aw, and who is this?" Mrs. Higashi bent down to her knees to pet Serenity.

"This is Keiko. I found her yesterday. I hope it's okay that I brought her." He never received an answer as Mrs. Higashi was too busy playing with the puppy.

"Well aren't you the most adorable little thing I have ever seen!" She cooed. Serenity didn't mind all the patting and light pinches the lady gave her. Although, as this was the first time that someone besides Tristan had petted her, it did feel a bit awkward. At least, that's what her theory was.

"I can't believe you even thought you had to ask. Of course she can stay here!" Tristan smiled in relief and took a seat at a stool near the stove, Serenity following right behind.

"That's good. I'm still getting her used to living with me, and I thought I'd show her where the world's best udon was." Serenity's ears perked. udon?

'_Thank God for his wonderful taste in food_,' Serenity thought.

"Well then you came to the right place!" Mrs. Higashi gave another smile and started to cook. In no time there was a bowl of udon in front of Tristan, and a smaller bowl for Serenity.

Serenity's stomach was in HEAVEN! Of course, she was in no way this much of a glutton back in her human days (that's what she has been referring to them as now), but it was this damned puppy body of hers that never stops eating. Serenity reluctantly accepted her fate and decided to enjoy whatever went into her mouth. She at least put _some _interest and attention in the conversation that Tristan and the cook were having.

"So why are you here tonight? If you don't mind my asking, of course." Mrs. Higashi gently pried, curious as to her favorite customer's unexpected appearance.

"Weren't you meeting up with a friend tonight? A date, you said?" The old woman's voice was slightly teasing, a glint in her eye as she stared down the boy eating. But only a little. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable and all squirmy. Not at all….

Serenity's head immediately flew up.

"_A date?"_ If Serenity didn't know any better, she would have thought she just felt a pang of jealousy at her heart. But of course she knew better….

"_Oh, who am I kidding?" _She gave up denying it in favor for ignoring the fact as she put more attention into the conversation.

Tristan seemed to choke on a noodle at Mrs. Higashi's words. Serenity noticed a light blush crawl up his face into his cheeks. She took interest in his appearance, taking a mental picture for later. She would enjoy it later.

"I-I didn't…didn't say that….well, say exactly that…it was, a, um, a d-date," Tristan struggled to complete a coherent sentence. The thought of being as audacious as to ask her to go on a date was something he only imagined in dreams.

"I was just hoping…that maybe she would want to go." Serenity was watching in amusement, and a bit discomfort. Here Tristan was, talking about some girl he obviously likes right in front of her. Serenity didn't know how to feel. She managed to push all of that to the back of her head as her curiosity took over.

"And why wouldn't she want to go with you? And why didn't you ask her?" Mrs. Higashi voiced her thoughts.

Tristan avoided the first question.

"_There's a whole world of ugly reasons she would say 'no'_," Tristan thought dejectedly.

"She wasn't able to make it today." Tristan decided to go with the simplest explanation, hoping to stay as vague as possible.

"I don't quite understand." Mrs. Higashi's brow was wrinkled in confusion.

"She missed her bus and couldn't get here today." Serenity froze.

"_Missed her bus? That…he can't be…no way is he…" _Serenity struggled to finish a thought as she mulled over the possibilities.

"Aw, well I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to come. And don't you worry. There's no way any girl in the world could say no to such a fine young gentleman such as yourself." Her voice was comforting, like that of the grandmas you see on TV all the time.

Tristan ducked his head down and smiled shyly to the ground. Mrs. Higashi had a secret grin on her face. She loved it when he went all squirmy and awkward. Young love…she mentally sighed.

Serenity savored the sight. She couldn't help it. He looked so different, so insecure and vulnerable, but so incredibly hopeful. It was amazing how much he changed when the subject was switched to the girl.

"_You mean when the subject is you." _Serenity froze. Did he really like her? Was she the one he became all shy and cute for?

Oh God. Was she the one that broke his heart for Duke? Did he know about her crush on Duke? Did she even still have a crush on Duke? Serenity was so overwhelmed.

"_Whoa girl! Slow down." _Her rational side spoke up. "_It could be a lot of people. Lots of girls miss their bus." _She reasoning made some sense, but she still felt that pit of uncertainty make her uneasy.

Tristan mentally scolded himself. Why did he always become the shy insecure boy he was when he was, like ten years old, whenever Serenity was brought up in his conversations?

"_Well, you could just ASK HER and get it over with." _That could work. But it's not like it's the first time he thought of that. Nor was it the first time he would chicken out and hang up the phone or just completely run away.

His musings were interrupted by shrill giggles.

A wave of déjà vu hit him as he turned and saw two girls from his English class, standing across the street and looking directly at him and Keiko.

"_Something is seriously wrong with the girls around here." _Tristan thought ruefully. He sneaked a peak at the schoolgirls, giggling and pointing at him and Keiko. But he noticed how their whispers seemed harsher or more unpleasant whenever it was about Keiko.

He perked his ears, trying to catch what they were saying.

"Why is that horrible _thing _sitting so close to him?" One whispered not so quietly. The other nodded in agreement.

"Charity for the ugly animals?" She suggested.

Tristan frowned. He looked down and saw that Keiko had heard them. She looked as if she was barely holding back from attacking.

Tristan smirked as an idea popped into his head. Not an extremely genius one, but it was something to distract the angered puppy.

Serenity felt her anger towards the girls grow as their insults were not so secretly thrown at her. She barely suppressed a growl when she felt herself rise from the ground. Tristan was picking her up.

"_Probably to protect those girls!"_ She deduced.

"YEAH! BE THANKFUL HE'S HOLDING ME BACK!" She barked angrily at the girls.

Tristan caught a slight flicker of fear and distaste roll across their eyes. He merely shrugged and brought the puppy up to the counter.

Out of nowhere, Tristan wrapped Serenity into a big bear hug, smooshing her against his chest. He nuzzled her fur with his cheek as the girls gasped in shock.

"What is he doing with that _thing?_" They had stopped whispering altogether now.

Tristan ignored the girls' frozen stare on him as he squeezed Keiko even harder.

Serenity was certainly baffled to say the least by Tristan's behavior. One moment, she was ready to attack those darn girls and the next moment she's being smothered by Tristan. She tried to squirm out of his tight grasp, but to no avail. Soon, all of her anger was hugged out of her as she relaxed in his embrace.

What this was supposed to prove, Tristan forgot. He had this whole wonderful plan to embarrass those girls, but it somehow ended up with him snuggling Keiko tightly.

"_Oh well," _Tristan thought as he continued to hug his puppy.

* * *

So I guess this counts as your guys' Christmas present. ) I'm cheap, but I hope you still liked it!

You know the drill!


	13. Summer Storm

Hola mis amigos! Hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas. I, myself, had a GREAT Christmas.

So a lot of people (I exaggerate) are starting to ask me when Serenity is gonna turn back to human. The answer to that...is that it's NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUSINESS. Just kidding!But seriously, don't worry. I've got it all planned out. It's not coming soon, not relaly, but it's coming.

I hope you enjoy this chappie.

Disclaimer: blah blah...don't own characters besides my own inventions...blah blah blah

And without further ado, THE CHAPTER!

* * *

Chapter 13

After many awkward minutes later, the two insufferable girls decided they had enough and left the two alone. Tristan finally loosened his grip on his puppy and set her on the counter, next to his unfinished dinner.

Tristan gave Keiko a cheeky smile.

"Wasn't that fun?"

Serenity rolled her eyes…which then fell onto the unfinished mean next to her.

"Hey, are you gonna finish that_?" _Serenity didn't even wait for an answer as she dove in and chowed down.

"_I hope all this weight won't transfer to my human body." _Serenity at least had enough shame to give Tristan a sheepish look before finishing up his bowl of noodles.

Tristan just smirked. Fat puppies are always really cute. But she wasn't exactly fat. Just constantly hungry.

"Alright, I hate to break you away from your gorging session, but it's time to get on home." Tristan called for Mrs. Higashi and paid the bill.

"Have a good night. I'll be seeing you soon?" Mrs. Higashi asked, one eye on Tristan and the other on his puppy on the counter.

Tristan look down to see Keiko licking the bowl clean, making sure each morsel of food was clean off the bowl and into her mouth.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we'll be back."

"I can see that." They both shared a laugh, causing Serenity to look up curiously.

"What's so funny?" She barked. The two humans ignored her as Tristan picked her up and left.

The sky was already darkening, which was unusual for this time in the summer.

CRASH!!!!!

Serenity literally jumped at the loud noise that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Luckily Tristan was there to make sure she didn't fall to the ground.

Both of them looked up at the sky and frowned.

Storm clouds.

"How could the weatherman miss this?!" Tristan yelled as he ran. He tried pulling his coat up to cover his head but was unsuccessful. He was getting drenched in the storm.

Serenity was faring only slightly better. After deciding that she wouldn't be able to run fast enough, Tristan placed her in between him and his coat and ran.

Serenity, for her part, wasn't complaining. Much. She was still getting wet.

"_My fur is gonna stink after this." _Serenity couldn't help pout at the thought of being stinky for a while. At least she was being partially sheltered. But with the amount of rain pouring down, there was very little that would protect them from getting wet.

Tristan powered through another deep puddle as he neared the house.

Almost there, he thought.

And soon enough, they were in the safety of Tristan's home where it was nice and dry.

Tristan immediately went upstairs to the bathroom and set out some towels. He took Keiko out of his jacket and placed her on a towel, then taking off his drenched jacket. He started to pat and rub Keiko's fur dry.

Serenity was forced to stay still as Tristan gently massaged her fur and skin, getting all the moisture out of it. Having nothing else to do, she started looking around, re-familiarizing herself with the room. Soon her eyes became bored of that and rested them on the body in front of her.

Tristan, by no means, was ugly; quite the opposite really. Serenity had started to realize that, but never before had she seen him like this.

He was still drenched, forgetting all about his own wet state to take care of her. His shirt clung tightly against the skin underneath, molding every contour of his body. His hair was wet and messy from running home. It held the most basic shape that Serenity styled it as this morning, but was for the majority a large mass of hair going every which way. Serenity couldn't help but follow a drop of water start from his forehead and flow down the side of his face, along his cheekbone, and followed it as it ran down his long neck, and disappear behind the T-shirt.

Serenity mentally cursed the shirt and willed it to go away. She blushed when she caught herself. Of course, she wouldn't be complaining if it somehow, spontaneously disappeared. She would have no problem at all.

His jeans were riding low on his hips, the waistband of his boxers just very very slightly poking up. There was just the tiniest, smallest hint of skin where the shirt rode up and stuck with water.

"_Stop it! Stop it now!" _Serenity mentally chastised herself.

"_When did you become such a pervert?" _Serenity tried to tear her eyes away, but they were riveted on Tristan.

"_I'm a good girl, but I'm not BLIND!" _She argued with herself, trying to justify her feelings.

At least, Serenity could give herself some credit for keeping her gaze on his face and away from the rest of the just as good to look at areas. See? She wasn't completely perverted. She had completely stopped imagining him shirtless. Almost.

She _was _only human. She couldn't help it!

And all too soon it was over. Serenity whimpered a little when he removed his hands and turned around. Then again, maybe it wasn't that bad….

Tristan had finished drying her off, only to start drying himself. But in order to do that, he had to take off his shirt.

In the last moments, Serenity looked away in embarrassment. She hid her head under a fold of the towel as Tristan wrung his shirt of excess water and dried himself off.

Serenity just couldn't bring herself to look, despite her imagination session just a few seconds ago. Soon she was being carried, head still buried in the towel, to Tristan's room, where he set her down on the bed.

She immediately dove under the covers to give Tristan some privacy.

"_What now? The shy, innocent girl? MAKE UP YOUR MIND!" _Her conscience was not a very pleasant one.

Thankfully, by the time she looked up Tristan was toweling his hair dry, dressed in a plain white shirt and a large baggy pair of black sweats that barely hung onto his slim waist.

Soon, Tristan was completely dry and ready for bed. Without warning, Tristan jumped onto the bed, sending Serenity flying into the air. Tristan deftly caught her and then brought her down to his lap. He stroked her fur languidly for a moment, before turning off the lights.

The room was completely dark, nothing visible with the clouds blocking the moon. Serenity could hear each and every raindrop hit the window in a constant pitter-patter that provided a soothing beat. Tristan climbed into bed and then brought Serenity up to the pillow.

Serenity sunk into the extremely soft pillow, disentangling her from her comfortable position. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get back into a comfortable position. The pillow was just much too soft to sleep on.

Serenity was struck by inspiration.

Slowly, making sure not to sink too deeply into the pillow, Serenity crawled across the pillow towards Tristan's lying form.

Tristan was just staring blankly upwards, trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness. Suddenly he felt Keiko move beside him. Before he could even turn his head to see what was going on, he felt he climb onto his shoulder.

After getting on, the brown puppy trotted down his body only to stop at his chest. Serenity walked in a tiny circle, before settling down on the middle of Tristan's chest. The contrasting firmness of his body was a nice one. His body was warm and soft, with just enough give before becoming firm muscle. She rested her head on her paws and yawned.

Just as her eyes were falling closed, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky. Serenity lifted her head in curiosity before the crash of thunder followed.

CRASH

It was an especially close one as it rattled the window sill.

Serenity literally jumped up, scared out of her wits by the incredibly loud noise. With her sensitive hearing, the crash of thunder was multiplied in volume, frightening the immensely smaller animal.

Another streak of lightning broke through the darkness, followed by an even louder crash of thunder.

Serenity huddled into herself, eyes sealed shut, whimpering in fear. Storms had never had this effect on her. Never had they been this scary.

Serenity felt two strong arms wrap around her. Cautiously, she opened one eye to see Tristan's comforting smile shining down on her.

"It's alright." He soothed. "It'll pass soon."

Just then another crash of thunder broke the silence. Serenity immediately resumed her protective position.

Tristan was at a loss. He didn't know what to do to comfort the frightened puppy. He dug through his memories in hope of an answer. He immediately thought to his childhood and what his mother did for him whenever he was scared.

Serenity's ears starting picking up on a different noise. It wasn't the harsh crash of the thunder's cymbals. It was something much softer, much calmer. It was soothing and comforting. Serenity could feel the tension leave her body as she focused on the sound.

It was Tristan. He was singing.

At least, that's what it sounded like. He was singing very softly, the words unintelligible to even her powerful ears. But the tune sounded so familiar.

It was the song he played on the piano this afternoon.

Tristan didn't know why he was singing this song. He didn't even realize there were lyrics. It really wasn't lyrics though. More like random phrases that seemed to match what he was humming. But at least it was working. He could see Keiko relax as she forgot about the storm outside.

Soon, Serenity was lulled into a comforting sleep, Tristan's song still in her ears as his arms remainded wrapped around her protectively

* * *

So...how was it? I hope you liked it. Be gentle, I bruise easily. HAPPY NEW YEAR! 


	14. A decision not easily made

I HAVE RETURNED! Missed me? Sorry about the long wait. Finals. Bleh

So anyways, thanks to those who have decided to read this far. It's great to know you guys enjoy the story. So i've recieved some suggestions of adding in more of the characters. And just so you know, it undeniably, completely, TOTALLY ruined my carefully laid out plans. I hope you're happy.

But now, I think it might be more interesting, so thanks. I'm not sure if I've got the 'Joey' down, so be nice.

Disclaimer: Did it, done it, done

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 14

The sunlight fought valiantly through the dark wall of clouds, trying to bring its warming rays down to the people on Earth. At least, it tried to. But with the big storm still hovering over Domino City, it barely made an appearance before it was smothered by clouds.

Serenity smiled in her sleep, Tristan's song resonating in her ears, long after he had finished humming it. She snuggled deeper into his chest, feeling the warmth it provided. The arm resting on top of her fell to her side, exposing her back to the cold stormy air.

The little puppy shivered at the loss of warmth. She tried to seek out another nook to sleep in, one that would leave her much less exposed as she was now. But then again, that would require action, and action required movement, which required energy, which Serenity didn't have.

It was weird how a night full of rest made one even more tired and lazy than before. At least, it did for Serenity.

She shivered again as her ambivalence left her vulnerable to the cold air. Well…there really wasn't any _cold _air per se, since the storm was _outside _and she was _inside. _So therefore she –

Serenity cut herself off. Way too much thinking at way too early in the morning.

But, being the lucky dog that she was, her predicament was taken care of as Tristan's other arm came over his chest to rest on the complacent puppy once more.

"_sigh That's more like it."_ Complacent, most definitely.

Serenity could smell Tristan very clearly, what with her hyper-sensitive nose and all. He smelled nice…very nice. It was a pleasant, sweet, but not flowery smell. It was gentle and warm, like hot apple cider and vanilla.

Serenity couldn't but help shake her head at herself. Who would've thought that the combination of apple and vanilla would smell so good? She inhaled deeply, falling back into a gentle sleep when suddenly…

BANG BANG BANG!

Serenity yelped at the unexpected loud noise. She jumped up in fight, rousing a sleepy Tristan.

Serenity couldn't help but make herself calm down and enjoy the sight, even if she didn't want to. But she did, so all was right in the world.

Tristan's hair was a mess, nowhere near the usual spike shape but a tousled sea of wild tuffs sticking out every which way. His eyes were half-lidded, just barely open enough to take in the sights before him. His voice was low and husky from just waking up. He ran his hands over his face, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more as he took in what was going on.

Serenity couldn't help it, he just looked too cute. Him in his sleepy-pajama state was irresistable. She climbed up his chest and gave him a good morning lick. Or two.

Tristan immediately woke up completely, as Serenity's warm and wet tongue licked at his cheek in an affectionate gesture.

Tristan chuckled, a deep rumbling from his chest.

"Good morning to you too." Tristan's greeting was low and soft, voice still husky with sleep.

"TRISTAN! Open this door NOW!" A barely audible voice called out. It sounded vaguely familiar. Tristan frowned as he looked out the window. The storm had let up, but there was still a continual drizzle coming down.

Reluctantly, Tristan sat up and removed Keiko from himself. He rubbed his eyes to remove the sleepiness and started downstairs, Serenity trailing not far behind.

The banging grew louder as the two neared the door, along with the yelling behind it.

"HURRY UP! I'M GETTING SOAKED!" And just as predicted, a very wet Joey came barreling through once the door was open enough for him to fit through.

"Geez, took you long enough." Joey grumbled as he took off his coat. Serenity ran up to him, perching her two front legs on his wet jeans and gave him a bark as her greeting.

"Oh, hey there girl." He bent down and ruffled her fur in a friendly pat. Serenity inwardly frowned at the lack of reaction from her brother.

"Joey, what are you doing here right now? Actually, even better question: What are you doing up so early? It's not even noon yet." Tristan asked as he shut the door.

"Haha, my best friend's a friggin comedian." Joey remarked sarcastically. "Seriously though, my dad's gone for a while on some business thing."

"And? That's never caused you to come here this early before." Tristan reasoned.

"Well if you would let me finish…." Joey gave an exasperated sigh and plopped down on the couch, Tristan and Serenity following close behind.

"I'm so sorry, please continue." Tristan replied dryly. He sat down on the armchair adjacent to the sofa while Serenity moved to sit next to her brother. Joey just pet her and stroked her fur nonchalantly as he talked.

"So anyways. I woulda normally survived by myself with whatever grub I can find. But, it turns out that we're all out of food and I've got no money to go grocery shopping, so…."

"So you thought you'd come over here and free-load," Tristan finished for Joey.

"WHAT?! How could you even think of me in such a…a…demeaning matter?" Joey had a look of utter disgust and outrage on his face. Serenity never knew her brother had such a melodramatic side.

"Demeaning?" Tristan raised an eyebrow, a gesture that made Serenity feel weird.

"Word of the day calendar. Tea got it for me last Christmas." Joey elaborated. Tristan merely nodded in understanding.

"Makes sense now. Well, since you're here already and after that heart-wrenching story of yours, I'm assuming that you want breakfast."

"Thank you! Finally! I mean, how many clues do I need to drop for you before you get it?" Joey threw his hands up in the air. Tristan just rolled his eyes.

Serenity couldn't help but giggle. She had never seen her brother interact with his friends like this before. Whenever she was around, he put all his attention on her and didn't really respond to his friends. It was…refreshing to say the least.

As Tristan bustled around the kitchen making breakfast, Joey flipped on the TV and started flipping channels.

"So…How do you like it here?" Joey asked the puppy quietly. Why and when he started talking to dogs, he had no idea. But he just thought he should fill in the silence in the living room.

Serenity looked up at Joey, an amused look on her face.

"You talk to dogs too?" Joey, as if sensing her question immediately explained himself.

"Don't get any funny ideas. You're the first dog I've ever talked to." Joey looked away for a moment, as if he was too embarrassed to look at the puppy directly. Serenity never realized how funny Joey could act.

"So anyways, like it here." Serenity nodded her head vehemently. Joey smiled in return.

"Good. So how long djya plan on staying here?" Serenity looked up at him once again. What kind of question was that? Joey was not looking at her, but staring at the TV screen. How was she supposed to answer?

"_But how long am I going to stay?" _Serenity thought. After spending so much time with Tristan, all thoughts of going home completely left her mind. Serenity looked away to a blank spot on the wall. What was she going to do? She couldn't just stay with Tristan forever, could she?

Joey looked down to see that the puppy looked as if it really was thinking about his question. Joey frowned. The fact that she clearly understood his question missed his mind, as he was distracted with the thought of the puppy actually planning on when to leave.

"Ya aren't going to leave are ya?" Keiko's eyes stayed averted form his gaze. Joey sighed. This was one weird dog.

"Look," Joey's voice deepened in a threat. Serenity was rather startled. She never thought Joey would ever speak to her in that kind of tone. But then again, she never thought he would be speaking to her in this circumstance at all. "if you're planning on leaving, then do it soon. Cuz each day, Tris is getting more and more attached to you, and if you just one day decide to get up and leave him, it'll hurt him a lot." Serenity couldn't avoid his gaze, forced to look up at him in confusion.

"He may look tough and independent on the outside, but he gets attached easily, emotionally and all that crap. So it'll hurt him a lot if you run away. So if you're not planning to stay for a long time, then leave now." Serenity was taken aback by this information. She didn't know what to do.

Joey sighed again when he saw the indecision in the dog's eyes.

"Look, just go with your gut okay?" Serenity took his words to heart as she closed her eyes in concentration. She focused hard, trying to decide what to do. Her already super-sensitive ears seemed to pick up even more than normal. She could hear the mindless droning of the television. She could hear Joey's breathing. She could hear the noises in the kitchen as Tristan made breakfast. She could hear Tristan.

He was softly humming to himself. The same song he sang to her last night. Warmth filled her heart as she concentrated on him. The other noises faded away, leaving just Tristan's near presence. She heard him plate the food and start walking back into the living room. Suddenly, the decision just didn't seem that hard anymore.

Serenity's eyes snapped open and she jumped of the couch in one quick motion, startling Joey who was watching her closely. Serenity ran across the room to where Tristan was and sat right in front of him, tongue hanging out and tail wagging furiously. She waited for him to place the plates down and to take a seat before jumping into his lap.

Tristan was slightly taken aback by her sudden affectionate attitude, but accepted her doggy love anyways. Hey, dog love was better than no love.

Joey rested against the couch comfortably, a wide smile on his face. She made the right choice.

* * *

It's official. My head is now empty. How did that chapter seem? Retarded? cuz that's how it felt. I wasn't sure how to work it out nicely. Please, some feedback would be great.


	15. Joey, driving, and hot woman jealousy?

I HAVE RETURNED! I'm sure you guys are just ECSTATIC to hear from me again! hehe...So sorry about the long wait. I've been swamped with school and driving lessons and other stuff like that so I haven't been able to update for a while. But to make up for that, I give you an extra long chappie!

Disclaimer: Please don't remind me...the truth is too much for me to handle right now. So be a good sport and humor me and pretend I own everything!

* * *

Chapter 15

After a surprisingly calm breakfast, the two boys placed their plates in the sink as they deliberated on what to do for the rest of the day.

"Well, looks as if the rain is stopping. Wanna go somewhere?" Joey asked.

Tristan shrugged, scratching Keiko's ears.

"Where to?"

"I don't know…. somewhere. That's all I know!" Tristan and Serenity both gave him a pointed look.

"Oh, that really narrows down the options of where to go." Tristan said sarcastically.

"I don't know okay! Just somewhere! This doin' nothing all day long is drivin me crazy!" Joey threw his hands up into the air in exasperation.

Serenity giggled at Joey's look of frustration. If only he was so energized when he needed it, like say…during a school day.

"How bout the arcade?" Joey finally suggested. After a moment of silence, Tristan shrugged once again.

"Why not." Tristan put on his shoes and headed for the front door when Joey's voice stopped him.

"Dude, where are you going?" Tristan raised an eyebrow. Serenity's stomach twitched again.

_"Stupid thing, it's been doing that a lot."_ She thought.

"I'm going to the door." Tristan explained slowly, enunciating each and every syllable carefully. "You know, the big rectangular thing in a wall, that lets you go outside. Outside? You know, with the sky and trees and other buildings that have doors as well. Like the….arcade maybe?"

Joey glared at Tristan, hard.

"Very funny. I mean, why are you going through the door?"

Tristan and Serenity shared a look. Was this guy being serious?

"Would you rather me go through a window then?" Joey made a move towards Tristan as to physically hurt him, but stopped mid-stride.

"What I MEANT was, why don't you take the car?"

Tristan gave him a blank stare.

"Why would I take the car? The arcade's like, 3 blocks from here." Tristan pointed his thumb in the direction of the said destination.

"Yeah, but I'm really tired. Plus, with all that slippery cement, you never know what could happen in three blocks." Joey further expounded, adding more and more reasons as to how the sidewalk could become a human death trap.

"You just want to drive the car, don't you?"

"Why Tristan! I am…I am… I don't know what to say! How can you think of me like that! I was just standing here, worrying about my best friend's safety, and you accuse me of-of…" Joey sputtered in indignation as he searched his small vocabulary for an appropriate word. For the second time in the span of half-an-hour, Joey managed become more of a drama-queen than all the girls he knew combined.

Serenity giggled. Joey was just too….funny. He never acted like that whenever she was with him. She never knew he was so…eccentric. Well, as eccentric as one could be when they relied on a word-of-the-day-calendar for their retorts. Whenever the two of them hung out, he was always so serious; always making sure Serenity was having a good time. He never joked around; he never acted like, well, to put it bluntly, such an idiot around her.

But she liked it. She never realized that her brother held such personality. She just assumed he always acted the way he did when he was with her, or when he was playing with those cards of his.

"THINK FAST!" Tristan shouted as he threw his car keys straight towards Joey, mid-tirade. Joey managed to react in time and caught the keys.

Joey grinned widely.

"You're the best man!" Tristan just rolled his eyes.

"Just make sure you don't crash it."

"Never fear Tristan! I have impeccable driving skills." He received two sarcastic stares.

"Yesterday's word." He said sheepishly.

The trio had been sitting in the mini-van for a total of five-minutes now. Joey was safely tucked into the driver's seat. Tristan was situated next to him, Serenity on his lap. It was weird, but the puppy refused to sit anywhere else. Tristan just shrugged it off. It's not like he was complaining or anything like that. Far from it really. For the past two days, Tristan had been reveling in the loving attention he received.

"_It is now official. You have sunk rock bottom in the proverbial love pool," _he thought sadly. But at the moment, that was the least of his worries. His major concern was for his buddy next to him. Actually, it was more for his and Keiko's well being.

"You know, you need to put the keys in the ignition in order to drive the car." Tristan pointed out. Joey just glared.

"I know that! I have me license ya know." Tristan narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.

"After failing how many times?" Joey didn't hear that comment, conveniently turning on the engine at the same time, drowning the statement out. Tristan's arms instinctively tightened around the puppy in his lap.

After letting the car warm-up, Joey backed out of the garage slowly, to Tristan's relief. Soon they were on the road, driving towards the arcade.

After a few minutes, Tristan's grip relaxed slightly, feeling a bit more comfortable with the driving situation. But only a little.

"See. I'm not that bad a driver." Joey gave Tristan a toothy grin.

Tristan just nodded.

"I have to admit, but you're doing very well."

"Psh, well? I'm drivin' like a true pr—

BAM!

The whole car shook violently, making everyone shake in their seat. Suddenly black smoke started floating out of the hood of the car, floating lazily up into the air.

"Uh oh," Joey muttered as he parked the car at the side of the road. All occupants exited the car to check the damage.

Tristan set Serenity on a dry spot on the sidewalk, while Joey popped the hood of the car, letting even more smoke escape.

Serenity covered her sensitive nose as the two boys fanned the air in front of them, letting the smoke clear from the car.

When the smoke finally died down enough, Tristan and Joey both stuck their heads into the body of the car, checking to see what's wrong.

"So what's wrong?" Joey asked.

"I have not a clue." Tristan's reply was muffled by some object or another, blocking his head. Tristan came back out. He took off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his white long-sleeved shirt.

"You might want to do the same." Tristan gestured to his jacket being guarded by Keiko. "It's most likely gonna get real dirty down there."

Joey just gave him a sheepish look.

"Hehe, see, about that. I'm really no good with cars. Mechanics really. All the small gears and plugs and stuff like that. I'm no good at all. Like, seriously, not good." Tristan merely gave Joey a penetrating look.

He could be lying, just being lazy instead and trying to get out of doing some heavy work. But then again, Joey really was a klutz, especially when it came down to the finer points that involved at least some coordination.

Actually, thinking back on it, Joey couldn't even handle the larger point stuff: things that didn't need even the remotest bit of skill. All he could do was eat and duel, and even then his skills were at times questionable. Tristan decided that he didn't want to risk damaging the car even more and let him go.

"Fine, then go keep Keiko company. Make sure she doesn't run off." Joey nodded an affirmative and sat next to the puppy. Tristan went ahead with the emergency toolbox and dove headfirst into the car.

Serenity and Joey just sat and watched Tristan work. Joey started to pet Serenity out of boredom. Joey sighed. Today was kinda boring. He really didn't want to go to the arcade. He just needed something to do. Now, he had nothing to do. Maybe he should at least _try _to help Tristan. Joey stood up and peered over Tristan's shoulder. Joey immediately froze. Inside was a giant black pit, filled with gears lying allover the place and wires that lead to nowhere and everywhere. Joey got dizzy just looking at them.

"_Nevermind," _he thought. He returned to his seat on the curb. He noticed that the dog hadn't moved an inch. For the past, what? – 20 minutes – she just kept on watching Tristan work. She wasn't even blinking. Could dogs blink? Joey contemplated the question, occupying him for another few minutes.

Serenity was entranced. Tristan was surprisingly entertaining to watch. Even though she couldn't see what he was doing (or the top half of his body), she found herself hypnotized by his actions.

He worked methodically, coming up often for a break of fresh air and to switch tools. His shirt had long black grease stains on it, as well as his arms and face. She could see the very thin sheen of sweat on his skin.

Serenity could feel herself salivating, something she discovered she did when she was hungry.

How weird. She wasn't even hungry. Right?

"So… the weather's gotten better." Joey said quietly. Was he talking to Serenity? Joey kept turning his head this way and that, avoiding Tristan as well as her. He seemed a little bit embarrassed to be talking to a dog. Which was absolutely true. But Joey knew she was a smart one, and might even be able to hold a decent, albeit, difficult conversation. But hey, Tristan seemed to be managing okay, why couldn't he?

Serenity moved a bit closer, trying to preserve as much privacy as possible. If they were going to talk, then she wanted Joey to be comfortable with it.

She moved till she was in his lap, Joey gently petting her. Serenity immediately decided, this was her second favorite place to be.

"_First favorite being?" _Serenity blushed and pushed that thought out of her head.

"So it looks like you've been having a good time with Tristan. He takin' good care of ya?" He asked.

Serenity nodded vigorously. Joey just chuckled.

"That's good, cuz if he isn't, you just come and tell me and I'll knock some sense into the idiot." He threw an imaginary punch towards Tristan, emphasizing the threat. Serenity giggled. It seemed like Joey was starting to warm up to her. It was great, knowing that no matter what form she was in, Joey always took care of her.

Serenity felt a warmth flow through her at the thought. Not the same warmth that she felt around Tristan, but not any less pleasant. But this one, she was able to recognize what it was. Familial love. Serenity was the luckiest girl/dog in the world. She had two great guys looking out for her.

Serenity nuzzled his face in gratitude. This time, Joey just laughed out loud.

Tristan's attention was stolen when he heard Joey laughing. He came up from the car's insides to see him with Keiko. On his lap. Licking him.

Tristan felt an unconscious wave of jealousy flow through him.

_"She only does that with me." _He pouted in his mind. Tristan immediately punched himself for that. How could he possibly know that? Heck, maybe she was always an affectionate puppy. Tristan thought back a couple of days to how she reacted to Duke. Maybe she was just extremely affectionate.

But that did little to ease his jealousy.

"I'm being stupid. She's just a little puppy. It's not like she's your girlfriend." His mind started to wander. And when his mind wandered, it always meant he had one thing on his mind: Serenity Wheeler. He couldn't help it. He was undeniably, hopelessly, and sadly in love with her. Sadly, being that it was unrequited.

"_Who can blame her? She's literally got the whole city at her feet, begging for her love. The male half, at least," _he thought sadly. He didn't know when his self-depreciating attitude started, but it's been showing up a lot lately.

Suddenly, a loud honk interrupted his musings.

"HEY! You okay there handsome?" He turned around to see a car parked next to his. In the driver's seat was a young woman. She looked very pretty, with long red hair framing her pale face. A fashionable lady, she wasn't one of those dainty models or those horribly appalling rich girls, but rather a self-made independent woman. At least, that's the impression she gave.

"Um…." Tristan answered uncertainly. "I'm not quite sure. The car just started turning out smoke all of a sudden. I can't seem to figure out what's wrong."

By now, Joey and Keiko's attention was drawn to the two now conversing.

"Black smoke you say?" She moved the car and parked in front of his car. She opened her door and stepped out, her flats barely making a click on the cement.

"Let me take a look." She left little room for argument as she nudged Tristan aside with her hip, moving him away, but not too far. And from Serenity's view, keeping him much too close. She stuck her head down to check the damage and immediately came back up, spot free and not a hair out of place.

"Yep, thought so. Your engine has a loose belt. It probably slipped off while you were driving, causing all that smoke you saw." She explained. She received three disbelieving stares. She smiled at Tristan.

"Happens to me all the time. I could help you fix it if you want hon." Tristan automatically raised an eyebrow at the pet name. No one ever gave him a pet name before.

"Um…sure." He answered reluctantly. Then the two of them went to work on the car.

Seeing the excitement was mostly over, Joey sat back down with Serenity on his lap. But only this time, the puppy was glaring intently on the thin form of the new 'slut' that had just appeared.

"Ugh! Just look at how close she is standing to him. She's so- OH MY GOSH! She just put a hand on his back! SLUT!" She barked. Sadly, the woman didn't hear her. Or maybe just ignored her. Being the 'slut' that Serenity just somehow knew she was, she probably did ignore her.

But Joey did notice the barking. He looked down and immediately recognized the look of anger in her eyes. Joey followed her gaze to the woman, his eyes glazing over.

"sigh Tristan is one lucky guy." The puppy just glared at him.

"_Ah, I see." _Contrary to popular belief, Joey was not completely stupid. I mean, he managed to figure out what was wrong with Keiko. Well…. then again. It was pretty darn obvious.

The little thing was filled with jealousy.

Actually, Joey himself was a little jealous right now. Tristan always managed to attract the girls' attention. Well, maybe not that many, but definitely more than him. But he never seemed interested. At first, Joey attributed that to the fact the Tristan was gay….

HEY! He had good reason to believe that! After the whole Miho fiasco, it didn't really take much to think that he had given up on women completely. Nevertheless, Joey was ecstatic to learn that his best friend had not given up completely. Quite the contrary, he was in love with his little sister. Joey was overjoyed…. once he finished beating and threatening Tristan.

"Lighten up there," Joey patted Keiko's head roughly. Keiko had shut her mouth, tired of all the barking. She decided to convert that energy into something more productive. Like trying to kill the 'slut' with her intense and powerful glare.

"No need to get so worked up. He only has eyes for you," Joey teased in a sing song voice. That effectively shut the little thing up.

Serenity immediately looked away, her face heating up. Joey could actually see a little bit of red under her fur.

That really was some dog. She was seriously jealous. Like not just a little jealous, but REALLY jealous. Like girlfriend jealous.

"Seriously though. You don't have to worry about Tristan and other girls." Serenity's attention was back on Joey. She tilted her head to one side in confusion. "I mean, just look at him right now!" Joey made some vague gesture in his direction.

"There! He's got a hot WOMAN keeping him close to her side as she shows him how to fix his car. So maybe she doesn't exactly want him or is interested in him, but she is flirting with him like crazy!"

Serenity looked over and sure enough, the 'slut' was flirting with him! She was standing awfully close to him. MUCH too close. She kept touching him on the arm, on his shoulder, on his lower back. She kept brushing her hair every which way as if she was in some shampoo commercial. Occasionally she would lean in close and whisper something in his ear.

Serenity was up to her eyes in anger. How DARE she make such obvious and uncultured actions towards her Tristan! Who by the way was….not responding?

Tristan was just standing there, listening to her give him pointers and suggestion and how to fix his engines. He was completely oblivious to her flirting! He actually seemed kinda uncomfortable whenever she whispered something in his ear.

Amazing.

Serenity never thought a guy could be like that. How could he resist something like that! Sure she was a 'slut', but she was a good-looking one. Even Serenity would admit that! Serenity's sudden conclusion smacked her right in the face like a ton of bricks!

She immediately turned to Joey. He smiled, knowing what she was thinking.

"You'd think so. I mean seriously, a guy HAS to be gay to resist that!" Serenity barked in agreement.

"But then you'd be wrong." Serenity's interest was piqued now.

"I know for a fact that he's not gay. He's just in love." Joey said it with such calmness and sureness.

"_He's…he's in love?_" Serenity was dumbstruck.

"Sure is. No doubt about it." Joey continued on, not noticing that Keiko wasn't paying attention anymore.

"_He's in love._" She repeated.

She looked up again to see Tristan reappear from the car. He turned and gave her a small wave and a smile, before going back to work.

For some reason, Serenity's heart sunk down even further at the knowledge.

* * *

The story is really coming along huh? Serenity will figure out her feelings soon enough. (I'm starting to get frustrated at myself for how long its taking! XD)

So...before going any further... About the stuff with Tristan's car. I totally, completely, made up the entire thing. I haven't the slightest clue about how a car works so I just made some stuff up. Do engines even have belts?

And the thing about Miho. I don't read the manga and stopped watching the anime. I just remember reading somewhere that Tristan used to like her. Again, ignore all wrong information. If not...then just deal with it! P

and lastly REVIEW PLEASE!


	16. Loving realizations

Oh. My. God. I-is, is this an update! Holy mackeral it is! First off, I cannot begin to say how sorry I am for not updating for like, half a year. Lately I've been having inspirational problems and haven't really been able to write anything. Haha, I've probably lost all my readers and am just writing to no one. Which is fine, I guess.

Disclaimer: I own everything and everyone! Except for the ones that I don't. Which is everything. And eveyone. How depressing.

* * *

Chapter 16

"WAIT!" Tristan shouted as he dove onto the train, barely getting squashed in between the closing doors. He landed unceremoniously in a heap on the ground. Unfazed, he got up and dusted himself off and found a seat. Luckily, no one was around to bear witness his graceful landing.

Keiko merely poked her head out of the duffel bag she was sleeping in, moody and cranky at being woken up so violently. She glared hard at Tristan. He returned with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that," he whispered, encouraging her to go back to sleep. But it was too late; the damage had been done. Now that she was more or less awake, she climbed out of the duffel bag and stretched her limbs. Once her morning calisthenics were complete, she finally took in her surroundings, realizing she was not at home.

She tilted her head upward, giving Tristan a questioning glance. The look did her little good as he was not focusing on her but rather looking off into space, past the window. Though as much as she appreciated the opportunity to once again analyze her favorite subject (the structure and composition of Tristan's face), she had learned that she hated being ignored. A lot.

And that's how Serenity found herself scaling Mt. Tristan, hoping to gain at least some attention. 'HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU!' she barked none to gently.

Snapping out of his reverie, he looked down to find Keiko smack dab under his nose with a glare fixed on her face. 'Uh oh,' he thought.

"Sorry. I wasn't ignoring you. Just busy thinking." He turned his gaze back out the window with a sad look on his face.

He had talked to Joey that morning before he left; the fact that Joey was awake was a miracle in itself. Joey mentioned in passing that Serenity was not going to be there again. Tristan was disappointed to say the least. He was planning on picking her up from the train station (seeing as how the car was in no shape to drive after yesterday's fiasco) and escort her to the beach and meet up with the others. It had been such a long time since he had last seen her. It was starting to feel as if he was never going to see her at this rate.

Serenity noticed the near imperceptible look that passed over his face. Something was not right. While still in an advantageous position, she nuzzled his chin and licked his cheek, hoping to be of some comfort.

Tristan smiled down and scratched her ears. "Thanks, but don't worry about me. It's nothing." Serenity merely tilted her head to the side.

'_Right_.' She thought. '_Like I'm gonna believe that_.'

Tristan chuckled at her. Such attitude. He sighed and relayed the information to his little friend.

"It's about a girl. You wouldn't want to hear all that melodramatic teen angst drama that is my life right now," Tristan exaggerated.

_'A girl? Could it be the girl that he's in love with?_' Serenity's heart was pounding in anticipation. This was her chance to find out who he was in love with! But, did she really want to know? Was she willing to handle the truth when she found out who he loved? Serenity was torn, but one look at Tristan and she knew she had to keep pressing. He needed to talk, and God help her, she was going to listen.

"Joey called this morning. He told me that his little sister Serenity wouldn't be able to make it today. She cancelled again." He explained.

_'…this is about me?'_ Serenity was scared to jump to conclusions. Could it ….? Would he really….? She couldn't even finish her thoughts, her heart was pounding too loudly for her to think straight.

"It's just that it's been so long since I've last seen her. I was kinda looking forward to hanging out with her again."

That's it. That's why he's sad. He can't spend time with his friend. Friend. It makes sense. I mean, she was his friend, after all. Friend. The explanation was perfect and logical, a great combination always. Friend. The word repeated itself over and over in her head. Friend. Repeated as an assurance to herself, right? Friend. If so, why did it hurt her to be his friend? Friend.

"There's so much that I want to tell her, but at this rate I don't think I will be able to see her at all. The timing is always all wrong," Tristan seemed to get more and more upset as he continued.

A sick part of her grew hopeful at his despair. Maybe there was more to it. She stopped herself before she got too far though. Did she want there to be something more to it?

"I mean, how can I tell her that I love her if I don't even get to see her more than once or twice a year?"

_'…wait. WHAT?'_ Serenity froze. _'Love?'_ Se was stunned. Tristan loved her? Tristan noticed the puppy's shocked face (as much of a face she could have made) and snickered.

"What? I can't like a girl?" He teased. Keiko, however, was not responding. She just stared ahead at his t-shirt, a pensive look on her face.

Her mind was completely blank. _'Was I hearing things?'_ She questioned herself. Deep down she knew what she heard was real. It wasn't her imagination. That same part of her swelled with happiness at the thought. The rest of her (the majority part) however, was not.

_'This can't be happening. No, definitely not happening. NOT HAPPENING!'_ She reasoned in vain.

'_It happened. Deal with it. And frankly, there are a lot worse things that could have happened. A LOT WORSE. In fact, I don't see why we are complaining.'_ Her subconscious countered. The annoying devil's advocate was back at full force. She mentally shook her head at its return.

'It ruins everything!'

_'…I'm not following. Explain how exactly is having Tristan, TRISTAN!, liking you a bad thing?'_

'Everything was going so nicely. We had a good thing going!'

_'Good thing? What good thing? He feeds you and occasionally pets you while you shower him with puppy love. WHAT THING IS THERE?' _

'It just won't be the same.'

_'Of course it won't. I don't think anything was ever going to be the same to begin with. But that doesn't mean it has to be bad.' _

There was some logic to that. Quite a lot, in fact. It wasn't the fact that Tristan lo- liked her (she wasn't at the point where she could even think about it), but it was how much it caught her off guard.

'But what about Duke?' Truthfully, she hadn't even thought about him since… who knows when?

Her counter-voice, however, was unable to answer as Tristan got out of his seat, taking Keiko with him. They stepped out of the station and into a sunny and warm seaside city. The streets were not heavily crowded, despite it being the very beginning of summer vacation. Serenity placed her musings on hold as she took in her surroundings. She remained tucked away safely in the duffel bag at Tristan's side.

Tristan took a leisurely pace as he walked along the streets, passing a few people on the way. There were many family owned restaurants and food stands just finishing their morning set-up, releasing all the wonderful aromas of their first batch of food of the day.

Serenity sniffed the air with relish, pushing all unpleasant thoughts and confessions to the back of her head, where she would not accidentally stumble upon them.

Tristan continued walking until he reached the beach. By then it was late morning and people had started to gather at the beach. Luckily, there was still plenty of room for everyone, preserving their sense of privacy. He quickly spotted the rest of the gang, and quickly went over and joined them.

Serenity looked over to see everyone already there; they were the last to arrive. Serenity spotted everyone: Yugi, Tea, Joey, Mai, Bakura, even Malik was there. All of whom were lying on the sand, sunbathing. Her eyes then landed on Duke. He was there as well.

Serenity was torn. All the unpleasant thoughts resurfaced in her mind like a drowning diver desperate for a last gulp of air.

"Well look who's late this time," Joey said smugly. He was sitting Indian style on his towel across from Yugi, who was seated in a similar position. The two were playing a mini-game of Duel Monsters. The rest of the gang merely rolled their eyes at them ("I swear to God they cold not stop playing if their lives depended on it").

Mai was lying on her towel sunbathing with Tea right next to her. The two girls removed their sunglasses and acknowledged Tristan.

Tristan oh-so-maturely stuck his tongue out at Joey and set up station. He gingerly picked Keiko out of the bag and spread a towel across the sand. He lay sprawled on the towel, finding a comfortable spot to do nothing in. Keiko joined in, liking the idea of just laying there doing nothing. She soon realized what a bad mistake that was.

With nothing to occupy herself in, her mind began to wander to the subject of Tristan and herself. After a few minutes of getting nowhere with herself, she decided that she would go visit the others, say a little hello and keep herself from worrying.

She spent about a whole minute with Yugi and Joey, not even bothering to try and tear them away from their game. _'Not worth the time.'_

The girls were nice. They petted her and gave her little cookies to nibble on (no chocolate chips though, something that peeved Serenity to no end). But she was soon bored of them and continued on. Bakura and Malik were fun. They played beach ball with her for a while, but that got boring as well.

She stopped at the last one. Duke. He seemed to have fallen asleep sunbathing, so Serenity figured she was safe in getting close to him. When she got close enough, she sat down and just admired. He really was quite a work of art. Slim and pale, even in the sun his skin remained like porcelain and delicate. His body was long and very slim, almost feminine. And that was it. There was no tugging at her heart. There was not wistful longing in her chest. She didn't have an urge to run up and give him doggy kisses. How odd. And what was that smell? His sun tan lotion? Serenity hoped it was his lotion and not his natural smell. That would have completely ruined everything for her.

Serenity walked away from Duke (something she never thought she would be able to do under any circumstances) and went back to Tristan. She just sat there, confused.

'What happened to me?' Serenity was so confused, she never noticed Tristan's worried gaze on her. She was acting strangely all of today. She looked rather down. He decided then to try and cheer her up. He raised his hand and ruffled the fur on her head.

"Hey, let's go swimming!" Her head snapped up. He just chuckled at her and took off his shirt.

And poor defenseless Serenity was unable to do anything but gape. She had been ensnared by the Adonis that was Tristan's body. If Duke was a work of art, then Tristan was a freakin' masterpiece. His whole body was tan, bronzed by many hours spent in the sun. His skin was stretched tight over lean muscles, showing magnificent muscle tone without looking like an intimidating body builder. In fact, if an impassioned passerby were to look (though Serenity doubted anyone could be impassionate about that Greek god standing before her) they would note that he was not very big at all in the muscle department. Heck, Joey was much bulkier than he was. But boy, Serenity was having a hard time caring. He was gorgeous.

Serenity had to remind herself to swallow the unusual amount of saliva that had accumulated in her mouth. He shined her a bright smile and petted her.

"Race you to the water. Last one in is a rotten egg!" Tristan challenged immaturely, taking a huge head start. Serenity didn't even register the challenge until a formidable gap had formed between them.

"HEY! NOT FAIR!" Having completely forgotten about her shameless eye grope of him before, Serenity burst off towards the water to try and catch up to him.

Tristan was already up to his waist in the ocean when Serenity got to the edge. He just stood there and taunted her.

"That was probably the most pathetic race I have ever seen in my entire life." His hands were resting on both sides of his waist, standing akimbo in the water.

Serenity growled in annoyance. "I am not pathetic!" She ran up to him, intent on giving him a piece of her mind. At least, she was going to. But there was the little detail of the water. It was…how do I say it…a bit deep. Actually, really deep. And cold. And moving. The tiny swells to Tristan were like waves to Serenity. It seemed a lot more intimidating when so small.

Tristan immediately caught on to her discomfort at entering the water, and couldn't help but laugh. The poor thing was angry with him, but too scared to get wet and do something to him. Serenity merely glared harder. And that's when she caught sight of the large wave forming behind him. She just sat and watched with a satisfied smirk as the wave tumbled over Tristan, knocking him over completely. She didn't even mind how the water rushed past her legs as long as she got to watch Tristan sputter in embarrassment. She couldn't help but laugh. Or bark. Same thing.

Afterwards, Tristan moved to shallower parts, letting Serenity enjoy the water without worrying about drowning. They spent hours just running around, splashing each other and playing chicken with the larger waves.

The sun was starting to set and the two of them were both still fooling around in the water. It wasn't until they smelled the savory aroma of grilling burgers did they come back to the sand to the rest of the gang, where Joey and Yugi had built a fire and started grilling some meat patties and hot dogs.

The two ran up the sand and collapsed in a heap on the towels, both panting from a whole afternoon of exertion. Having fun was hard work.

Tristan was laying on his stomach, his face turned to Keiko, who has laying down in a similar position. He ruffled her fur and gave her a breathless smile.

And Serenity's heart stopped. She felt that tugging in her chest. She felt that wistful longing, despite her close proximity to him. She took one look at his panting face, the special smile dancing on his lips and cheeks, and was a goner. She knew now. She loved him too.

* * *

WOW. Such a long update. I felt that was the least I could do to make up for the long wait. So if anyone is still out there, it'd be great to know that at least someone is still interested in this story. 


	17. Is this the end?

Wow, this is kinda awkward. I really didn't mean to take this long to update. If you want, I have a bunch of reasonable to lame excuses that I could give you for not updating sooner. Many apologizes.

But, I like to think of myself as an optimist, and so the glass is in fact half full. Which means, yeah, fine, it took my forever to update, but at least I updated at all! P Puts things in perspective now, don't it? But anyways, enough of that. Onto the chappie!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except for EVERYTHING!!! ...Except I don't. Seriously, I wish I did. But I don't.

* * *

Chapter 17

After enjoying a big hearty meal of grilled burgers and hot dogs, the group packed up and started up the beach. Their destination was a tall hill covered in trees, complete with a cliff that had a great outlook over the beach and the city. They were setting up camp there.

Despite being past dinner time, the sun was still hanging high in the sky, giving everyone extra bursts of energy, especially solar powered puppies.

Halfway up the walk, the puppy jumped out of Tristan's duffel bag and started running around in childish excitement. The entire group noticed how despite near dying of excitement, she never strayed too far from Tristan, always returning to him to be petted or picked up for a while.

When the group reached their campsite, a small clearing in the trees that had a great view of the beach, the boys (except Duke) started setting up tents while the girls started the fire. By the time the sun had set, the group was cozily bundled and snuggled up by the fire.

Serenity, unprepared for the quick temperature drop, quickly scampered into Tristan's lap. Tristan smiled and went into autopilot mode (read as "spoil the cute pup"). Serenity growled in utter contention as she lazily lounged in Tristan's lap.

_"Nice and warm,"_ she thought with a satisfied smile.

While Tristan's attention was solely on his pet, the rest of the crew was roasting marshmallows and stargazing; generally having an overall relaxing and enjoyable evening.

"sigh It's too bad Serenity couldn't join us. She woulda loved it," said Joey, receiving concurrence from the rest of the crew. Except Tristan. He merely slowed his petting down till his hand just rested on top of the puppy. Serenity noticed the quick change in Tristan and looked up worriedly. He had a very dour expression on with his eyes downcast, as if contemplating something very painful to him. Serenity whimpered at the sight.

"_He really misses me,"_ Serenity thought with sadness but also with a sliver of disturbing glee. He really did love her that much. She immediately perished the thought from her mind. "_So not appropriate."_

Seeing as how she was the root of all of his pain, Serenity felt obligated to help cheer him up. For the umpteenth time in the past few days, she re-scaled Mt. Tristan to shower him with puppy licks/kisses. And just as quickly as it had come, the cloud of sadness was wiped away with great ferocity only to be replaced with happiness.

Tristan's attention was now back to the previously ignored puppy once again.

"You _do _realize how spoiled you are right? Can't even go a single second without acknowledging your presence. I really should stop treating you so well, go tie you up in the middle of the woods for a few days, see how you act after that," Tristan threatened as he rubbed Keiko's furry belly. Too bad Serenity knew him all to well to know that he wouldn't even get close to going through with his threat. He was too far whipped by her invincible puppy powers.

Serenity couldn't help but ponder how what a wonderfully coincidental it was that by comforting him she would bring his attention back to focus only on her. How con-freaking-venient.

"_Oh well. I guess it just comes with the job of super puppy,"_ she thought with a smirk.

"I don't think I like that look on you," Tristan said wearily as he eyes her rather devious glint in her large eyes.

Tristan was pulled once again away from his sleep when he heard piteous whimpering right next to his ear.

"Are you kidding me? Keiko, that's the fifth time tonight!" Tristan rolled back into his sleeping bag and covered his head. But Keiko was relentless and continued to whimper loudly, gently pawing the sleeping bag until Tristan gave in.

"FINE! But it's the LAST TIME! I told you not to eat so many pieces of watermelon," Tristan continued to chastise lightly as he unzipped the tent, giving the tiny puppy with the tiny bladder another chance to go relieve herself of her seemingly endless amounts of urine.

Serenity ran towards the exit with a yelp of gratitude.

"Oh thankyouthankyouthankyoutthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!" She barked happily. Serenity seemed to recall some sort of warning about what would happen if she ate too much watermelon, but she wasn't entirely sure; she was rather preoccupied with stuffing her face with watermelon and was unable to focus on anything else. Multitasking was never really a strong point for her.

The little puppy, as excited as she was, came to an abrupt halt when she reached the end of tent. She cautiously peeked her tiny, furry head out of the tent to check the surroundings. She quickly scampered back into the tent and looked to Tristan, a puppy pout forming on her face as a pathetic whimper rose from her throat.

"Trrrriiiiiisssssttttttttaaaaaannnnnn!!!!! I'm scared!" the little dog whined. Tristan merely stared at her with a blank expression.

"You. Can't. Be. Serious." Tristan deadpanned as he realized what she wanted him to do.

"But it's all dark and scary outside!" More whimpering came from the little dog, this time much louder. "Please?"

"No. I told you what would happen if you didn't listen to me. So now, you can go to the bathroom by yourself," Tristan said.

"Pretty please?" Keiko then played her trump card. She started to lick his face while whining and whimpering in as pathetic a voice as she could make.

But Tristan's resolve was firm and unwavering…for about two seconds. Tristan slumped his head and heaved a great sigh.

"_I am so whipped,"_ he thought dejectedly. But hey, he was getting better at resisting. He beat his previous record by two whole seconds.

He slowly stood up and exited the tent with a very happy but impatient puppy following close at his heels.

The pair walked into the forest, going deep into the forest to ensure privacy. They finally reached a spot so thick that not even the rays of the full moon could penetrate the thicket. Yet even still, Keiko refused to go until Tristan turned around.

Tristan just couldn't understand the finicky puppy.

"I've never seen any puppy as high maintenance as you, you know," he muttered. Keiko merely barked an indignant response before focusing on her current task of reliving herself before her bladder exploded.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Keiko finally finished her business and started to turn around and head back for Tristan when a noise caught her attention.

Serenity turned her head to the right, hearing a light rustling coming from the bushes in that direction. The noise was so subtle that she barely heard it.

"_Probably some wind," _Serenity thought, and brushed it from her mind. Except she heard it again, this time much louder.

"_I definitely did not imagine that one."_

To say the least, Serenity's curiosity was peaked. She decided that it wouldn't hurt just to see what the noise was. So the human-turn-puppy changed her direction and headed for the bushes, intent on just taking a peak at what was making the sound.

Serenity wove through the thick bushes and after a minute or two of struggling; she came through the other side of the bush. What she hadn't anticipated was that directly behind the bush was a steep hill, causing her to trip and fall down the slope.

After being on the receiving end of a harsh landing, Serenity slowly picked herself back up.

"_Oh crap. Now what?"_

As the puppy was surveying her surroundings, trying to find a way back to Tristan, she heard a noise directly behind her. This time though, it wasn't some subtle rustle of the leaves that she heard. Instead, it was a low-pitched growl that resonated throughout her body, making her shiver in anticipating fear.

Cautiously, she turned around and was met with the sight of two bright, menacing, and _hungry_ pair of eyes.

Serenity immediately backed up as quickly as possible until she was at the foot of the hill, being unable to distance herself any further from the beast.

As the huge figure loomed closer and closer, a mean of moonlight forced its way through the treetops, just barely illuminating the beast, revealing the figure of a very large and very dangerous mountain lion creeping towards her.

Serenity was completely frozen in shock.

_"Run! Hurry up and move away! RUN!"_ But her body would not cooperate and just stood there as the lion swaggered up to its midnight snack. It wasn't until the lion pounced that Serenity made a run for it. Her quick little legs pushed her off the ground just as the lion reached her, letting her escape with little more than a deep scratch. This time, Serenity's body followed her mind as she ran like crazy, barking and yelping as loud as her lungs allowed.

"HELP! Someone, anyone help me!"

The lion quickly started to gain on her, it's giant leaps proving too much for Serenity's little steps. Serenity just ran harder as she caught sight of the lion getting closer. Suddenly, while she was looking back at the lion, she tripped on a pebble and rolled along the ground as she fell. She ended up falling into a small crevice in the hillside, just squeezing past the entrance and finding sanctuary in its tight confines. The lion swiped futilely at the crack, trying its best to reach the tasty little morsel. Serenity knew, however, that her safe house was only temporary and curled up dejectedly as far into the crack as she could.

"Tristan, please come save me," she whimpered.

* * *

Wow, I really didn't mean to end it like that. Does that count as a cliffhanger? Well, I guess we'll see what's going to happen to poor Serenity/Keiko.

**cough**she gets eaten!**cough**

Oh my, excuse me! P

Seriously, who knows what will happen next?


End file.
